Press Releases
CHRISTMAS MESSAGES 1998 from the Archbishop of Armagh
From The Most Reverend Dr Robin Eames
Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland
In the past year the foundation for hope in Ireland became a reality. The prayers of thousands were answered by the Belfast Agreement and the endorsement of the document by the huge majority of the people of Ireland. The sense of relief and the feeling that at last the end of the long corridor of suffering had dawned could not and did not blind us to the fact that while we had not reached the end of a road we had together taken a major step forward.
As we celebrate the Christian message of Christmas 1998 with joy through our identification with the scene at Bethlehem our hearts and minds are filled with genuine hope. So much remains to be achieved - but whatever emerges in the political scene of Ireland in 1999 nothing can ever be the same again.
Once more this Christmas the story of the birth of Christ will be told in parishes throughout the Church of Ireland. Once more we will be surrounded by the atmosphere of rejoicing as we think of the ‘love, joy and peace’ of the Christmas Gospel.
In our prayers of thanksgiving we will be conscious not just of how far Ireland has travelled but of those who still carry the scars of the past in their hearts and on their bodies, those who have been given the sacred trust of making political decisions and those who still remain doubtful about the pace of political progress.
But above all I hope that we will find throughout our Church the courage and the vision to ask what more can we do as a Church and as individuals to create the atmosphere in which we can as an island move further towards a lasting peace with justice for all our communities.
The real challenge for 1999 for Ireland will be the translation of what was good and worthwhile in 1998 into a reality for all of us. The real struggle is not just for political progress but for the hearts and minds of all Irish people.
May the God of peace and the Saviour whose birth we celebrate so fill our hearts and minds with grace and courage that we can together move into a future bright with promise and lasting hope for our island home.
I wish you all a peaceful and blessed Christmas and God’s richest blessing in 1999.