Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
The Church of Ireland and Europe
The Church in Society Committee, which is a committee of the General Synod chaired by the Bishop of Clogher works through several sub-groups including one on European Affairs. The chairman of this sub-group, Dr Kenneth Milne, has recently returned from a meeting in Brussels at which church representatives discussed issues facing the European Union.
The Constitutional Treaty, which was agreed under the Irish presidency, will be submitted to referendums in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, and consideration was given as to how the churches might participate in that process. If ratified, the Constitutional Treaty will give churches an unprecedented consultative role, and it is important, if this is to work, that appropriate channels of communication are set up, both in Brussels and locally.
A matter of great interest to the churches is the possibility of initiating talks with Turkey which wishes to join the EU. Other spheres in which the Union is active, such as human rights, the environment and bioethics, also require a proactive approach by the churches and call for informed engagement and discussion.
Today (Saturday) the Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh Diocesan Synod will be held in Rooskey, while next week the Ferns Synod will take place in Enniscorthy on Wednesday, and the Cashel and Ossory Synod will be held in Cashel on Thursday. The annual Jonathan Swift Symposium continues in St Patrick?s Deanery and concludes tomorrow (Sunday) at Evensong when the address at the Annual Commemorative Service will be given by Professor W.J. McCormack. This weekend the clergy and parishioners of St Nicholas? Collegiate Church, Galway, will visit their counterparts in St Nicholas? Church, Belfast.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory will be the celebrant at the Wexford Opera Service in St Iberius? Church, where the music will be provided by Carlow Choral Society and soloists from the Wexford Festival Opera. In Monkstown parish church the Revd Bert Tosh, Head of Religious Broadcasting in BBC Northern Ireland, will preach at the harvest festival while at Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral the Archbishop of Dublin will present music certificates.
On Monday a group will leave for Cairo for a week long visit to religious and civil leaders in Egypt as part of CMS Ireland?s programme on Muslim-Christian dialogue. The group will include the Archbishop of Dublin , Bishop John McAreavey, Professor Rab Mollan, President, and Canon Cecil Wilson, General Secretary of CMSI together with the Revd Patrick Comerford, who co-ordinates CMS Ireland?s programme on Muslim-Christian dialogue. The group will meet the Egyptian Foreign Minister and representatives from Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim communities as well as visiting CMSI projects including Refuge Egypt, where Gillian and David Maganda from Belfast are working with Sudanese refugees, and a new hospital in Sadat City.
The Cork, Cloyne & Ross Annual Clergy Conference will be held in Ballylickey from Tuesday to Thursday. This year the conference will anticipate Cork as European City of Culture in 2005 with speakers on history, architecture, literature and ministry in the city and presentations from the Cork City Manager and the Director of Cork 2005.
On Thursday there will be a Service of Thanksgiving in the College Chapel for the Dublin University Far Eastern Mission, which is being revived, while at lunchtime the speaker in the ?I Believe? series of talks in St George & St Thomas? Church, Cathal Brugha Street, will be the broadcaster, David McWilliams.
In St Multose's Church, Kinsale, at 8 pm on Friday, the Contempo Quartet will give a recital as part of its Irish tour.
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