Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from 'The Irish Times'
Saturday 9 May 2009
The Churches and Europe
It can scarcely be denied that the continent of Europe is at present experiencing a crisis that is both political and economic. Politicians and economists seem less confident than customarily as to the steps forward that need to be taken. The current situation was the subject of a conference held from 28-30 April in the European Parliament in Brussels and at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre at Mechelen (Malines). It was organised by the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) which defines itself as representing 125 Churches, Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant Churches. Dr Kenneth Milne represented the Church of Ireland’s ‘Working-Group on Europe’.
The event provided an opportunity for church representatives to engage with those of influence in both the European Parliament and the Commission. The voice of the churches can seem to be regarded by some in such circles as peripheral, even naïve, but at a time of crisis, when even the most experienced leaders seem less assured than usual of what needs to be done at a time that is generally recognised as unprecedented, it appeared that they welcomed the meeting and were listening. The message that the churches sought to convey was that this was also a time of moral crisis, that resources equal to those being devoted to the banking sector needed to be allocated to the preservation of Europe’s social fabric and that, so grave were the weaknesses hat had been uncovered in our present financial system, that policies that sought simply a return to the status quo would most likely merely postpone rather than avert an even more catastrophic state of affairs in the future.
These issues will be further discussed at conferences leading up to the 13th CEC Assembly in Lyon in July. Meanwhile, Christians can take advantage of the elections to the European Parliament in June to make known their views to the candidates who seek their votes.
Tomorrow (Sunday) Evensong in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast will be sung by the Chamber Choir of Belfast Royal Academy while in Templeconnor Church Clonmacnoicse there will be a service at 4pm.
On Monday the preacher at the 10.30 am Trinity Monday Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin will be Cardinal Sean Brady. In the evening in the Linenhall Library, Belfast, the Bishop of Tuam will launch the latest Catalyst publication, God and Science. Scientists of Faith respond to Richard Dawkins, while Crosslinks will host a Dublin Open House in Overseas House, Rathmines, at 8pm with Chris and Lotta Strajnic who work in churches in Serbia and with the Roma community.
Belfast Cathedral will host a three day meeting of the Consultative Forum of the Missions to Seafarers beginning on Tuesday. Forty-seven representatives from the ten regional areas of the mission world-wide will gather to plan their strategy for the next five years. Area representatives will come from India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Africa and Europe and there will be a bishop or archbishop from each region.
On Friday the Archbishop of Dublin will preside at a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the bi-centenary of the Old Borough National School, Swords, a history of which was written by Andrew Whiteside in 2000. In Cork there will be a continuing ministerial education day for clergy and lay church workers on the theme of alcohol problems. The day will be led by Mr Rolande Anderson, National Alcohol Project Director for the Irish College of General Practitioners.