Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 20 October 2007
The Church and Europe
A meeting of church personnel with responsibilities for European Union matters was held in Louvain last week when the Church of Ireland was represented by Dr Kenneth Milne who chairs the Church in Society’s ‘Working-group on Europe’.
One session of the meeting took place in Brussels, where the delegates were addressed by their counterparts on the staff of the European Commission who have a particular role where relations with the churches are concerned. Much was said about the new Reform Treaty which it is anticipated will soon be agreed by the various governments - Ireland, it seems, being possibly the only state to do so by referendum. It appears that the guarantee of ‘open, transparent and regular dialogue’ with churches and other faith communities, included in the aborted ‘Constitutional Treaty’, has found a place in the new agreement, and is considered to be of even greater significance than heretofore because of the increasingly high profile that religious issues have assumed in political affairs, both international and internal. However, for such dialogue to be meaningful will to a large extent depend on the churches themselves.
A major item on the Louvain agenda was a consideration of the recent ecumenical assembly at Sibiu, in Romania, and of what that gathering had to say to the churches, especially about ‘the integrity of creation’. Climate change, care of the environment and the related issue of the migration of peoples now claim high priority with the churches. These urgent matters, which must be of deep concern to all humanity, and not least to Christians, call for the utmost co-operation between nations, such as only an international body like the European Union can facilitate. Hopefully, a recognition of this fact, together with the need for the EU and the citizens of the members states to acknowledge their inter-dependence if policies are to be successfully implemented across the continent, will do something to bridge the gap, readily admitted by Brussels, that exists between the citizens and the Union.
Dr Barry Rose, former Master of the Music in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, will be in residence in Derry Cathedral this weekend where he will conduct a workshop for boy choristers, give a recital on the cathedral organ and conduct the Cathedral Choir at tomorrow’s (Sunday) Choral Eucharist.
This afternoon (Saturday) at 3pm the harper, Anne-Marie O’Farrell, will give a recital in Whitechurch parish church, Co. Dublin, while in the evening at 8pm there will be an Organ and Choral Concert in Zion Church, Rathgar, with organist, David Adams, and the Palestrina Choir.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning the Archbishop of Dublin will preach at a re-dedication service in Christ Church, Taney, and in the evening he will preach in Christ Church Cathedral at a service to mark the 75th anniversary of the Church’s Ministry of Healing. In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Dr Elizabeth Malcolm will give the address at the Jonathan Swift Commemoration service while in Belfast Cathedral the preacher at the Harvest Festival will be the Bishop of the Free State, South Africa, the Rt Revd Patrick Glover.
The AGM of the Church Education Society will be held on Wednesday evening at 7pm in the Boardroom of the Church of Ireland College of Education.
On Thursday the Derry & Raphoe Diocesan Synod will take place in Ballybofey while on Friday the Bishop of Cork will be the guest of honour at Midleton College Prize Day. In the evening there will be a concert by Altan in St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, in aid of the cathedral’s conservation project.