Press Releases23 Mar 05

Archbishop Eames' Easter Message

As Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ with its message of reassurance, hope for the future and victory over the darkness of death and sin Northern Ireland cries out for a new dawn. In every department of life here this Easter the message of hope for a new future is urgently needed.

In politics a new reality which recognises the priority of democratic agreement is the only way to build a stable future government. There can be no place for the influence of criminality or terrorism in political power. There can be no place for ambivalence towards violence in any form in the political process. The time is long past for the people of this community to be inflicted with the duality of politics and violence in any form.

In everyday life vicious attacks against people in their own homes have spread fear among our most vulnerable. Young and old have been subjected to a new culture of criminality where the sanctity of life and the sanctity of homes have been shattered.

Sectarianism is alive and well and it appears we have learned little from the mistakes of the past. Thuggery in the name of tribalism is an everyday occurrence. The sectarian divisions of the past continue to frustrate the lives of too many this Easter.

The truth is that we are now seeing the real consequences and inheritance of the Troubles. The days and nights of widespread atrocities may be a thing of the past. But the new culture of violence and division has been made possible by the events of the past. Trust was the real casualty of those years. Violence too often appeared to produce results and reward.

All this has led to new questions of what is morally justified and what is immoral in the life of this community. Expediency has become the watchword for too much of social and political development. Lawlessness is filling a vacuum which is too often equated with the peace process. So-called progress is too often built on a denial of truth.

A stable and just future for Northern Ireland demands the recognition of the rights of decent law-abiding people of both communities. They deserve the new dawn of hope which Christians celebrate at Easter. That dawn will come for us all once the real message of Easter becomes a reality right across this community.