Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland notes from the Irish Times
The Churches and the EU Constitution
The drafting of a new constitution for the European Union is currently a major preoccupation of the governments of the member states, of countries which will soon join, and of the European churches. A consultation on the draft constitution was held recently in Brussels under the auspices of the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches and the Church of Ireland was represented by Dr Kenneth Milne who chairs the Church of Ireland’s Working Group on Europe.
The consultation heard speakers from the European Commission, from ambassadors of member and applicant states and from spokespersons for churches. All agreed that it was never the intention of the founders of what has become the European Union that it would be merely a free trade zone. They had in mind a community of nations which would bring political stability and peace to the continent. In the course of time great changes have taken place, both within the Community and beyond, and the collapse of the Soviet system in central and eastern Europe has heralded the greatest change of all - the entry to the EU of some of the former Russian satellite states, together with other states, which will occur during the Irish presidency next year.
The constitution of the EU is being redrafted to accommodate this unprecedented enlargement. But the draft constitution is about much more than structural matters and is also about being seen, not least by the churches of Europe, as an opportunity to ensure that the EU is a community of values which must be secured for all citizens of the Union.
Today (Saturday) All Saints Day will be marked with a Festival Sung Eucharist in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, at 5.00 pm and in the evening the Archbishop of Dublin will be the celebrant and preacher in All Saints Church, Grangegorman, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary. In St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, at 8.00 pm, there will be a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, with the Seafield Singers, East Cork Choral Society and the Cathedral Choir with the proceeds being divided between Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, and the Cathedral Choir. At the same time, in the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, a temporary installation by the Brazilian artist, Ivana Panizzi Luz will be unveiled. The installation takes the form of a glass reredos on the theme of All Saints.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the Bishop of Meath and Kildare will preach at the annual Citizenship Service while in Trinity College Chapel the visiting preacher will be the Dean of Westminster, Dr Wesley Carr. In Cashel Cathedral there will be a service of Choral Matins sung by the choir of St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena. In the afternoon in Down Cathedral the Archbishop of Armagh will commission the Revd Profesor RAB Mollan as President of CMSI and in the evening, at 7.30 pm, the Archbishop of Dublin will celebrate and preach at the Patronal Festival Eucharist in All Saints Church, Blackrock.
On Tuesday the House of Bishops will begin a three day retreat in Glenstal Abbey. In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, the first of a new series of lunchtime lectures on archbishops of Dublin will be given by Dr Martin Holland, TCD, who will speak about Bishop Gilla Patriac. In the evening in Overseas House, Belgrave Road, Dublin, Crosslinks missionary society will host an Evening of Prayer and Praise with Karen Salmon, Mission Partner in Ethiopia, and Melanie Lacy, Ireland Team Leader.