Members of the Diocesan Synod,

I welcome you all to this meeting of the Diocesan Synod here in Church House and pray that Almighty God will bless and guide us as we transact the work of our diocese.

CHURCH HOUSE

Last year we expressed our satisfaction as we met in the newly renovated Synod Hall. This morning we look back on a year when Church House has been widely used and many more have had an opportunity to benefit from all we achieved in our massive redevelopment programme. The facilities here now are second to none and I again pay tribute to the foresight of the Diocesan Council and all involved in the planning of those improvements.

ARCHDEACON

I would again thank Archdeacon Raymond Hoey for all he does to support me in the service of the diocese particularly when I am absent on Church business. I would also like to congratulate him and the parishioners of Mullaglass on the opening of a fine new church hall.

DIOCESAN COUNCIL

I want to thank the Honorary Secretaries – Archdeacon Hoey, Canon Swann, Mr Davison and Mr Caldwell and the members of our Diocesan Council for all their work during the past year. We wish Mr Caldwell a speedy recovery from illness. They have given so much of their time and interest to the work of the diocese.

STAFF

Once more on behalf of the diocese I thank Mrs Jane Montgomery, our Diocesan Secretary and Mrs Jennifer Kirkland, her assistant, for their faithful work during the year. Mrs Roberta Haffey has continued her excellent work as my secretary and all three ladies provide a service to the Church and our diocese which makes us the envy of other dioceses.

CHURCH OF IRELAND - METHODIST CHURCH IN IRELAND

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of signing on behalf of the Church of Ireland the Covenant between the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland. This is a historic document. It points the way to a new chapter of co-operation and understanding between our Churches. We have recognised each other, welcomed each other and grasped the privilege of shared mission to Ireland. In time we will move further forward together. For the present we welcome this new era of fellowship with our Methodist friends. I have invited the Superintendent of the Methodist District, the Reverend Jim Rea of Portadown to attend our Synod and he will say a few words to us this morning. For the moment please join me in welcoming him to the Diocesan Synod of Armagh.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

A few weeks ago we had a memorable service in the Cathedral which brought together representatives of all our parishes in an evening of thanksgiving and rededication. None of us who were there will easily forget the atmosphere of that service or the display of those wonderful parish banners so lovingly made. This service allowed us to reflect back on the Decade of Evangelism which had produced a series of events, prompted several members of the diocese to seek ordination to the Ministry and training as Readers and proved to be a programme which greatly benefited our spiritual life and witness. That service to which I refer replaced the ‘day of thanksgiving’ we had originally planned a year ago but which had to be cancelled due to the Foot and Mouth crisis. Again I would like to thank Canon William Neely for all he did for us as Decade Co-ordinator.

ST ELIZABETH’S CHURCH, MOYGASHEL

Last Saturday I had the great privilege of Consecrating the newest church in our diocese, St Elizabeth’s, Moygashel. This was an historic event for our people in Moygashel and Drumglass, Dungannon. The Consecration took place 50 years after the opening of the church hall and we offer our congratulations to the Rector, Canon Swann, the Select Vestry and people on this land-mark in our diocesan history. May God bless our ‘newest addition’ and may the worship and witness in Moygashel go from strength to strength in the years ahead.

CATHEDRAL APPEAL

Mention of the Cathedral reminds us that at present extensive renovation necessitated by age is being carried out to that historic building. The Dean and the Cathedral Board deserve our support and I would again appeal to the parishes to give what they can to help this demanding work. Shortly I will be meeting potential supporters in the United States but I would ask you all to re-examine your support for our Cathedral Appeal. All our parishes have been supplied with material giving details of the Appeal. Please ask your parish to give serious consideration to how it could help the ‘mother church of the diocese.’

ST.PETER’S, DROGHEDA

None of us need to be reminded of the constant demands of upkeep involved in the maintenance of church property. Across this diocese those demands place heavy burdens on parishes. I would mention one parish in particular this year : St Peter’s, Drogheda. A fire some years ago destroyed much of that beautiful building. A concerted effort by the parishioners under the leadership of the Reverend Michael Graham has restored the church and recently I was privileged to lead a service of thanksgiving for the completion of the second stage of renovation on the 250th anniversary of the church. St Peter’s now is a magnificent building reopened for the worship of Almighty God in the southern extremities of our diocese. I pay tribute to the parish for what they have achieved. But St Peter’s is only one of many parishes which have indicated in practical ways the love our people have for their local church.

GENERAL SYNOD 2004

You will have read that the General Synod of the Church of Ireland plans to meet in 2004 here in Armagh. Next year I will be telling you of our plans to welcome the members from all over Ireland to the ‘Primatial City’. I hope this will be an excellent opportunity to host this important meeting and I know we will do all we can to make our fellow churchmen and women welcome.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Uncertainty:

The Synod meets this year at a time of political uncertainty in Northern Ireland. We are aware of the reasons for that uncertainty and while we are concerned today about the life of a diocese we cannot do our work in isolation from the prevailing atmosphere which surrounds all our lives.

Prayer:

I believe as a diocesan synod we have a clear duty to make prayer for all involved in the government of this Province, all involved in the political process and all who have influence throughout the community a priority. Prayer for those who carry such responsibilities has nothing to do with our individual political views. Prayer transcends party. It is a privilege and a responsibility. No one can doubt the burdens which rest on all involved in this process. We remember them all as we pray that God will grant them wisdom, vision and courage in these days. We pray that they will show courage, integrity and above all, honesty, as they respond to the trust the electorate has placed in them.

Profound changes:

This is a time when we need to be reminded of the relationship of political decisions to the lives of ordinary people. It is a time of profound change for our society. We all have our opinions on the nature of those changes. But we also have a clear Christian responsibility to stress the effect those changes have on a divided society. For we live in a divided society. We have come a long way in the past few years – but each day we live we see evidence of how far we still have to travel if justice, equality and fairness are to dominate our lives.

What are the pastoral issues which demand our prayerful attention today in Northern Ireland?

First, I would refer to the levels of violence in our community.

The Report of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland for 2001-2002 states that in that period the level of recorded crime at 139,786 offences was up 16.6 per cent on the previous year. The same report records that the overall clearance rate went down seven percentage points from 27.1 per cent to 20.1 per cent. Paramilitary-style attacks in the same period went down from 323 to 302 and in 60 per cent of those cases the victims were shot. Some 315 people were charged with terrorist and serious public order offences – and increase of 26% on the previous year.

Those figures tell only one part of the story. Behind them is the work of the PSNI, the most analysed and scrutinised police service in these islands. Behind them are the level of paramilitary threats to this whole community. Behind them are on-going levels of sectarian hatred which are a blight on this society. Behind them are the consequences of a Province in transition. But behind them is the fact that we live in a violent society which cries out for safety and peace on our streets.

It was inevitable that with an improvement in the overall terrorist situation even though the level of threat remains high, paramilitary activity would turn to other outlets such as drugs and protection rackets. Clergy working in areas of north, east and west Belfast know only too well the corrosive influence that the ‘god-fathers’ of terror exert over people’s lives. That influence represents the clearest threat to normality today. Nor is it a threat confined to areas of Belfast.

This society faces a choice. Is it to be a community of fear dominated by the decisions of sinister figures whose agenda is self-advancement or is it to be allowed to be a society in which decent people can go about their lives confident of protection and free from fear?

I pay tribute to and affirm the work of the Loyalist Commission in which church representatives provide paramilitary and community activists with the opportunity to engage in dialogue. This is a positive development in which our Church has played a key role. I have seen its work at first hand and I admire what it has already achieved. It is essential that the Church provides an opportunity not just for dialogue but for Christian analysis of the conditions prevailing in areas of tension. That analysis must include examination of the conditions in working-class areas which have contributed to current tensions. Many of those conditions are the result of years of social neglect.

All of this raises the vexed question of policing. We welcome the courage of recruits from both communities who are entering the PSNI. But the Policing Board and the government faces the daunting task of reassurance. Reassurance for people living in isolated areas that there are sufficient numbers of police available to offer protection. Reassurance that there are sufficient resources to meet local needs. Reassurance that as long as the threat of terrorism remains and as long as we continue to live in a violent society policing will be provided when and where it is needed. There are areas of this diocese where people have found that there are insufficient numbers of police to respond to calls. That is the reality. It is unacceptable in any society.

Second, I want to refer to the question of attitudes throughout our society.

Attitudes determine events. Attitudes determine outcomes. Attitudes set the limits to what is possible – and define what is impossible.

In this society attitudes play a vital role in setting the pace of change just as they set the parameters for the status quo.

In Northern Ireland we are largely dominated by attitudes : the attitude to what we accept as good or useful and the attitude to what we oppose or wish to prevent. Those attitudes are formed by our religious, our political or our social position. They are formed by our past, our memories, our interpretation of the past, our hurts – real or imagined – to name but a few of the influences.

Our attitudes to each other are probably the most significant ingredient in this society.

It used to be that we talked about a divided society here on religious terms alone. We linked those religious terms to party politics. I believe we have moved on in the past few years. The real division now is between those who want to see genuine democracy deliver good government for everyone and those who still believe old sectarian labels are vital and that violence or the threat of violence must remain. There is much goodwill in both of our main religious communities. Let us recognise that. But let us also build on that goodwill to build a peaceful, just and equal society where terror and violence have no part. Let us also recognise that the threat of violence is to be found in both our communities this morning.

As Northern Ireland faces yet one more period of political crisis it is surely very important that as Christians we say to all our neighbours that attitudes to each other in human terms are more important than ever. From within the Protestant and largely unionist community let us make the voice of hope call out to our neighbours. Let us find a new confidence for the future. Let us challenge the voices of despondency or gloom.

In the end it will be when both these communities can see each other in purely human terms of shared needs, hopes and fears, shared vision and shared humanity that we will begin to move forward together. We have inflicted hurt on each other and we have found solace in the barricades of history. Surely now is the hour to recognise more what unites than what divides : to see that others have the same fears as we have.

The community from which members of this Synod come has an equal right for a place in the future of this Province. It cannot be right that the redress of alienation over the years on the part of one community means the alienation of another. Whatever emerges from the political process which has begun with the suspension of the Assembly and the Executive has got to reflect genuine and real partnership in a democratic process in which all law-abiding people can feel ownership. There is no other way in which real stability can emerge. No one and no community should feel this is a ‘cold place’ for them…

Third there is the serious situation of these days with the structures of government.

The past few weeks have produced what one commentator has termed ‘political turbulence’. You may agree with me that this is an under-statement. We have seen the virtual collapse of the structures of government which had suffered crisis after crisis since the days of the Belfast Agreement. The system so painstakingly created survived those crisis points but the final straw was a crisis too far.

It is not my task to comment on the party political aspects of the past few weeks. We are all well aware of those issues. History will judge the words, the actions and the reactions. Time alone will tell what the next step will be for Northern Ireland.

However there is one aspect of this situation which I feel falls easily into our ambit of concern as a Synod today.

I believe we must plead for a longer view, a more visionary view, of the future.

It is of course a tragedy that for various reasons our structures of government collapsed. It is an even greater tragedy if we allow current difficulties to prevent us thinking ahead and losing the vision of what genuine honest and truly democratic government can offer the people of all our communities. Instant reaction to events and hasty judgement of the words or actions of others - preoccupation with the problems of the moment, resentment at recent events, disappointment and frustration – all such emotions could easily prevent us seeing what we could call ‘the big picture’. That picture involves both our communities feeling genuine ownership of government, both communities learning to feel at ease in sharing responsibility and grasping opportunities to move this Province forward to permanent and sustainable peace. If that picture suffers because of our current problems then that will be the real tragedy.

I fully realise the difficulties encountered by what we call ‘The Peace Process’. Despite all those difficulties life has moved forward in many ways. Surely no one in their right mind wants us to slide back into those old ‘dark days’ of widespread suffering. However the risk of that happening will be more real if we do lose sight of the ‘big picture’. Somehow we must find the way to rebuild trust, rebuild understanding – and Protestant and Roman Catholic, unionist and nationalist must do it together …

Neither community can claim to have a completely clear conscience when we consider what we have contributed or failed to contribute to progressing this Province towards justice, equality and lasting peace. Mistakes have been made on all sides. Assurances have not been followed by actions. Within both communities we have allowed sectarian attitudes to flourish and those attitudes in turn have encouraged viscous thuggery to find excuses for action. We have had a really good dose of the ‘blame game’ lately. Of course there were questions to ask – and answers still to be given. But the long suffering, decent, law-abiding people of this community look to the political process to grasp that ‘big picture’ with new enthusiasm. They deserve nothing less.

Trust is a fragile element in any relationship. If trust is destroyed a lot of other elements collapse. Trust has been the real casualty of recent developments. Somehow trust has got to be re-established in this community. Between the political parties little trust has been obvious recently.

Simply because structures of government have been put into what we all hope is temporary ‘cold storage’ is no reason why we do not continue to try to build bridges in this community. The Churches have a prime role to play in that regard. But so do ordinary people in their own localities.

This is a time for real statesmanship. This is a time for genuine reassurance. This is a time to say plainly without reservation or prevarication – the threat of violence, the continued existence of paramilitary force, the dread of a return to atrocities, targeting and violence have gone – all gone – they are part of the dark past – they are no longer a part of the equation. This is where reassurance is needed. This is the point where fear or suspicion can stop – and stop for good. This is where the task of rebuilding trust can begin.

Christianity is about prophesy. The prophetic voice is above and beyond individual party political preference. Today this confused and frustrated society needs to hear the voice of prophesy. As we pray that a way to govern the affairs of Northern Ireland in the days ahead is found let us be clear that whatever emerges from political discussion recognises that two communities, two peoples and two societies deserve to live without fear of each other.

In the name of God – let that joint message go out from this Synod to our community. Don’t lose the ‘big picture’ – and give us the reassurance that the war is over for good. Then let us move on with a new confidence across this community. But let us move on together.

May God bless you all.