Press Releases29 May 07

Bishops on three day visit to Derry

The Bishops of the Church of Ireland are on a three day visit to Londonderry this week.

House of Bishops meetings are normally held in Dublin, but in response to an invitation from the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Right Revd Ken Good, their three day meeting will take place in Derry on this occasion, where in the course of a busy schedule they will meet the Mayor, Councillor Helen Quigley, senior clergy including Bishop Hegarty and Bishop Boyce, and many of the local MLAs.

The new Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, is returning to the city and diocese where he served as rector of Christ Church, Londonderry in the 1980’s.

In warmly welcoming the visit, Bishop Ken Good has said, ‘In the new political climate, we are living in very encouraging and exciting days. The bishops readily accepted the invitation to visit the city so that they can discover more about a wide range of issues such as reconciliation, policing, health care provision and the Review of Public Administration, particularly as they impact the North West in the new political climate. The fact that they have allocated three days to meet local people and to get to grips with local issues is a significant indication of their interest in the progress which is being made here.’