Press Releases16 Sep 05

Bishops to establish listening process following recent loyalist violence

The Bishop of Connor, Alan Harper, and the Bishop of Down and Dromore, Harold Miller, are to establish a process of listening to clergy and lay people in the parishes in the Belfast area following the recent outbreak of violence in the loyalist community.

Bishop Alan Harper said: ?We are deeply concerned about the lawlessness and violence that occurred during and after the Whiterock Parade. We are also deeply concerned to understand better the issues and frustration that underlay the descent into chaos.?

Bishop Harold Miller added: ?We want to discover how the Church of Ireland can assist in enabling those underlying issues to be addressed.?

The Bishops said: ?We reject violence as a legitimate means to express grievances. We call upon all persons in the community to respect and abide by the law, not least to enable legitimate grievances and fears to be identified and addressed.?

?We also want to draw attention to the suffering of those who have been injured and traumatized during these past days and to ask for prayer for them.

?Finally we call for an end to the unseen intimidation that goes on within and between communities ? the stones through windows, the finger pointing, the whispering and the subtle violence that is as real as the riots we have watched on our TV screens in recent days. It is time to move beyond this and to create genuine processes that engage more than a handful of people in our land in determining the future.?