CURRENT CONCERNS:

"There are many concerns for our community this Easter. I think of the desperation in the farming community because of the foot and mouth crisis following so closely the problems of BSE. There is the on-going preoccupation with efforts to find political stability. The rise in criminal attacks on people and on their homes are a constant reminder of the culture of violence which surrounds us.

FOOT AND MOUTH CRISIS:

My thoughts this Easter morning are very much with our farming community. The ravages of the foot and mouth crisis affect many beyond the farming community as you know. But it is on the farms, not least within our own diocese, that the real desperation and despair is being felt. Our hearts and prayers go out this morning to all who have suffered because of this crisis. The pictures on the media of the slaughter of animals will remain with us all for a long time. Pray God this scourge will soon be eradicated from our land.

ATTACKS ON ELDERLY:

Today there are a growing number of people who feel very vulnerable and isolated. I think particularly of the elderly and the growing number of attacks on elderly in their own homes. They live in fear - many of them live alone. Such attacks are deplorable and present a real challenge to our society. It is when such attacks are highlighted by the media that most people are aware of the situation.

POVERTY:

Various agencies have told us of the number of people who fall into the poverty trap. Prosperity is by no means uniform across Northern Ireland this Easter. The gap between those who have and those who have not is growing and raises serious issues for us all.

SUICIDES:

Then there is the tragic picture of those who are driven by loneliness and isolation to take their own lives or to attempt suicide. I recognize there are many reasons for these sad figures. Clergy, medical doctors and social workers are aware of these tragedies more than others. Such cries for help must be listened to when we talk of the good of our community this Easter.

MORAL RESPONSIBILITY:

As Christians celebrate the real hope of Easter we have a moral responsibility to take on board the needs of those who desperately search for hope in their own lives. Christ died and rose for those on the fringe of society as much as for the comfortable and the satisfied ..."