The Archbishop was preaching as part of the cathedral’s Lenten Preaching Series which is exploring the theme of ‘The homelessness crisis: A Christian response’. The series is organised by Christ Church’s Priest Scholar, Canon Prof Anne Lodge, and aims to take in a wide range of perspectives.

The series was opened by Dean Dermot Dunne whose sermon was entitled ‘The Homeless Jesus in Context’ and continued with Fr John Collins, acting Chair of Mendicity Institution, on who the charity supports those in homelessness. Archbishop Jackson was preaching as Chair of the Church and Society Commission on the Church of Ireland’s response to homelessness. The series continues this coming Sunday with Canon Prof Lodge who will share stories homelessness and hope. Barbara Comerford will bring the series to a close on the last Sunday of Lent with an address entitled ‘Christian discipleship: volunteering with those experiencing homelessness’.

The Archbishop said that the term ‘homelessness’ reinforced the inequalities and injustices in our societies.

“Homelessness has become mangled with refugeeism, asylum seeking, racism, nationalism, personal inadequacy and local territorialism – and most iconically tangled with flags,” he commented. “It makes some people a failure in their own understanding and this, as we say in our documentation, is a rucksack that nobody wants to be carrying.

“It makes some other people guilty about having a home, about having been able to make provision for their own home. It makes people who come to church guilty and helpless in an emotionally frozen way about how to respond caringly because it looks as if any individual response to this polar bear sized problem will be too meagre, too mean, to make any difference.”

Archbishop Jackson highlighted a resource produced by CASC for parishes. It outlines a number of actions that people can take.

“The following are general principles: that people like ourselves think before we speak and that we act along with speaking; that we all contest publicly and with public figures the injustice of housing insecurity and deprivation; that we lobby for local social housing provision; that we make work to the advantage of those in need of the Social Services available in our area and, where possible, facilitate this by having the church plant become a location for this,” he stated.

Recognising that there are many forms of homelessness, the Archbishop said: “For me, the one rule of thumb is: give to homeless people of your best and of your best self rather than of your leftovers and of your exhaustion.”

You can find the Church and Society Commission’s resource on homelessness here.


Archbishop Jackson’s sermon is in full as follows:

The Homelessness Crisis: A Christian Response

Readings: Exodus 17.1–7; Romans 5.1–11; St John 4.5–42

St Matthew 25.40: … truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me …

CASC is the Church and Society Commission of The Church of Ireland. It is the successor of what some will remember as the Role of The Church Committee which had a good run and a pivotal role in the life of the General Synod during the sustained and dark days of The Troubles in Northern Ireland in the last quarter of the previous century.

It connects what Archbishop Eames used to call the dear old Church of Ireland with issues of significance in society. From the outset, we in CASC have argued for our voice to be independent of the General Synod while also reporting annually to the General Synod. The purpose of this has been to enable the committee to speak directly outside the Church on issues as time and need arise. It is a difficult line to hold but it is worth it and it facilitates a more rapid response than is possible as you navigate the highways and the byways of a labyrinthine bureaucracy. Through our Secretary, Mr Craig Copley Brown, (craig.copleybrown@rcbcoi.org) we are always open to considering new areas of work and response that fall within our broad range, capacity permitting.

How did the issue of homelessness come to dominate our agenda?

Over the years, we noticed that the Roman Catholic tradition in Ireland was in a position to comment swiftly on the Budget, for example, in the Republic of Ireland. In CASC, we decided to comment on the Budgets and the Programmes for Government published in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as a way of drawing the Church of Ireland into what people call: the public square and of lifting us out of the confines of our churches.

Membership criteria for CASC have changed. The constituent membership now offers the opportunity for people interested in the broad range of our work to put themselves forward and for their range of interests and skills to be assessed and incorporated into the work as vacancies arise.

As this has given us a broad sweep of membership, we can offer a perspective from within thirty–two counties in what we say about matters relevant to the out–of–church Church of Ireland. It is out of these freedoms of operation that addressing homelessness came to the fore in a church which is both characterized and caricatured as being overwhelmingly and comfortably middle class.

Homelessness is a deadweight and a negativizing term. It is also an affront to humanity within a fully functioning society as our society claims to be, however the metrics are crunched. It defines people by who they are not and by what they do not have. It reinforces the inequalities and injustices in our societies. Homelessness has become mangled with refugeeism, asylum seeking, racism, nationalism, personal inadequacy and local territorialism – and most iconically tangled with flags.

The cluster is as difficult to untangle as is a pot of overcooked spaghetti on your kitchen stove – if you have a kitchen, or a stove, or a home in which to house either. It makes some people a failure in their own understanding and this, as we say in our documentation, is a rucksack that nobody wants to be carrying. It makes some other people guilty about having a home, about having been able to make provision for their own home. It makes people who come to church guilty and helpless in an emotionally frozen way about how to respond caringly because it looks as if any individual response to this polar bear sized problem will be too meagre, too mean, to make any difference.

And then, of course, there are homeless individuals, one by one, people just like each one of us, on the street, women, men and children forming a community of need, of cunning, of defeat, of hunger, of misery, of survival and of failure to survive. The dynamics of all of this we, whoever we are at any given moment, find impenetrable.

The danger for any of us is precisely this: the us/them divide, the we/they division. I remember reading an interview with ‘a homeless person’. What this person said was something like this: ‘Sitting watching shoes and shopping bags walk past you – that is all you see, day in day out. I don’t want anything more than for somebody passing by to say: Hello! to me.’ The person could easily have added: … in the unending rain.

What are we recommending?

At the back of the cathedral and in some of your seats, you will find material that CASC has put together for parishes. Please take away a copy. We recognize that cathedrals are different from parish churches but the following are general principles: that people like ourselves think before we speak and that we act along with speaking; that we all contest publicly and with public figures the injustice of housing insecurity and deprivation; that we lobby for local social housing provision; that we make work to the advantage of those in need of the Social Services available in our area and, where possible, facilitate this by having the church plant become a location for this.

We recognize that homelessness takes many forms: some people have no home at all; some people have a temporary home; some people have what might be called ‘home–poverty’ by which I mean that they cannot live adequately, comfortably or safely where they do live. Some people may need provisions they cannot afford, some people may need to get out of the house in order to have some tangible quality of life, some people may need friends, everyone needs money.

For me, the one rule of thumb is: give to homeless people of your best and of your best self rather than of your leftovers and of your exhaustion. Creating spaces that are comfortable and friendly where people can talk with one another and you with them; offering entertainment such as a film or music night that people cannot themselves afford; giving them a chance to hold the ring in family or individual quiz afternoons, scrabble or chess matches or evenings with other people; hosting repair cafes where together people can fix appliances; creating toy libraries and toy–stores where people can get toys and games for children; giving people seeds for growing vegetables and flowers and having someone with green fingers teach how to plant, tend and harvest – these are some possibilities.

In our own context, point people to Protestant Aid (www.protestantaid.org) who will assist anyone irrespective of their religious affiliation. There are many more people who are only one utility bill away from eviction and the homelessness that comes with it than we think. And: Don’t talk too much God to people, rather do God with people who are homeless. Jesus Christ already walks their road with them.

Is there an image, a picture that we can take away with us to give us hope?

Meeting in the Season of Lent, our inspiration can come from a hymn that is looking us in the eye at this time of year as we approach Passiontide. It begins as follows:

My song is love unknown,

My Saviour’s love to me,

Love to the loveless shown,

That they might lovely be …


But it is to the sixth verse that our theme of homelessness directs us today:


In life no house, no home,

My Lord on earth might have;

In death no friendly tomb,

But what a stranger gave.

What may I say?

Heav’n was his home;

But mine the tomb

Wherein he lay.


Samuel Crossman’s seventeenth century thought–pattern remains fresh as a daisy for us in 2026. None of us deserves the Saviour’s love. It is as basic as this but it is also as beautiful as this. Such love is shown unconditionally to those who are unloved, to those who have no love, with the transformative purpose that they might lovely be. This is not an us and them situation between us and homeless people. We are in need of this love unknown as much as anyone else and we are also the conduit, the vehicles of such love unknown, on earth as it is in heaven as The Lord’s Prayer constantly inspires us because, as disciples, it is our calling.

The specific homelessness of Jesus comes to the fore in verse 6 with the added and accelerated recognition that it is a stranger who gave him a friendly tomb. The connection between us and Jesus and between us and the homeless stranger is that while heaven was his home, the tomb is mine. This forces the issue. This calls it out loud and clear. This cements the connection between us and the homeless stranger and Jesus. In Jesus, the stranger is no longer strange.

As you yourselves go home today, you will walk past the sculpture of The Homeless Jesus in the grounds of this cathedral. As you do, please think of the opening line of the seventh verse of this hymn: Here might I stay and sing …

Please do stay and sing even for a moment for the homeless people who are all our people.

Report by Lynn Glanville (Communications Officer, Dublin and Glendalough)

The Church of Ireland’s Church and Society Commission has highlighted the cost–of–living hub on the Church’s website to members and their neighbours, as fuel prices rise due to the conflict in the Middle East.

The hub page provides short videos, helplines, and links to price comparison websites, to help with reducing costs and increasing disposable income.  This was piloted in 2021, when inflation increased during the Covid–19 pandemic, and then updated as a response to the economic pressures arising from the war in Ukraine from 2022 onwards.

To find out more, please visit www.churchofireland.org/cost-of-living

Parishes can also print out leaflets from this page with helpful information, in versions for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  Each leaflet has space for adding contact details for local sources of support.“War changes and destroys everything before it particularly in the contemporary era of hostilities,” Archbishop Michael Jackson, as Chair of the Church and Society Commission (CASC), remarks.

“Our thoughts and our prayers focus most intently on those who live in theatres of war and, in these times, on those who live in the wider Middle East region.

“The reality of international economics, agriculture and distribution means that the current war hits those who are members of our own churches and communities very hard also in relation to food, fuel and heating. There are many agencies in a position to help. It is in such a spirit of helpfulness that we in CASC offer these addresses and resources at this time. Please use and share them if you, your family or members of your local community need assistance in any way.”

A reflection from the Revd Andrew Irwin, St Paul and St Barnabas, on Belfast’s York Road, and a member of the Church and Society Commission:

On Thursday afternoon (4th December 2025), our parish of St Paul’s and St Barnabas hosted the Depaul Celebration of Life service, an event marked by dignity, honesty and compassion as we remembered those who had died while experiencing homelessness or profound social vulnerability during the past year. Depaul has been serving people across Northern Ireland for twenty years, and their presence, together with colleagues from Simon Community, Radius and various civic leaders, created a moment in which shared grief and shared responsibility met one another within the walls of our Church.

The service reminded us that homelessness in Northern Ireland is not a marginal or isolated issue, nor is it restricted to those who are visibly sleeping rough. According to the Northern Ireland Audit Office Report on Homelessness, more than 26,000 households were accepted as homeless in 2022–23, a figure that reveals not only the scale of the crisis but its complexity, since homelessness often emerges through the combined pressures of poverty, mental ill–health, addiction, trauma and family breakdown rather than a single cause.

The report highlights that many individuals move repeatedly between precarious accommodation, temporary housing and moments of crisis that erode stability over time until the smallest disruption becomes the final tipping point. At the service, we were told that eleven people known to Depaul had died in the past year. Each person carried a story that mattered, and hearing those names spoken aloud brought to mind the words from Hebrews which say, “Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.” (Hebrews 13.12–13).

What I find challenging when I recall these verses is that they speak not simply of a location, they speak of a way of being, serving, and making Christ known. This is the way of the Kingdom of Christ, Hebrews 13:13 must challenge our approach to mercy and mission, because it reminds us where Christ is often received – by those who live on the margins, those whose lives unfold beyond the safety of the city walls. Then it calls the Church to meet them there, rather than wait for them to come to us.

Why? So they can encounter the love of God through us. The Gospels carry this same pattern in the flight of Mary and Joseph into Egypt, moving in vulnerability and uncertainty, and in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where compassion draws near to the one left by the roadside. These texts ask us not to treat urban poverty, displacement or homelessness as abstractions but as places where Christ has already gone ahead of us, calling his people to recognise him in the faces and stories of those who are most often overlooked.

North Belfast knows these realities with painful clarity. Nearly a third of neighbourhoods in this constituency fall within the most deprived ten per cent in Northern Ireland, and more than three quarters of local young people grow up in areas shaped by long–term deprivation, instability and intergenerational disadvantage. These are more than numbers. These are the conditions in which many local churches minister every day. At St Paul’s and St Barnabas, it is not unusual to encounter individuals seeking warmth, shelter or simple human connection at the door. These interruptions are never an inconvenience. They are a reminder that Christian ministry begins at the moment a person in need crosses our path, because that is the moment at which the Church is invited to go outside the camp and meet Christ where he has chosen to stand.

The Church and Society Commission which I am privileged to serve on has recently encouraged parishes to engage seriously with the issue of homelessness. We have suggested some practical and relational steps that congregations can take that I can testify personally will have a profound impact on individuals:

– providing warm spaces in winter,
– supporting local food banks,
– partnering with homelessness charities,
– building friendships with those at risk,
– and recognising that every person experiencing homelessness carries a unique story that deserves respect and compassion.

And if I may offer one more, supporting our churches who find themselves on the frontline of need and opportunity across all the cities on this Island.

CASC’s guidance stresses that our actions must be grounded in prayerful commitment, sustained engagement and partnership with those who work daily on the frontlines of poverty. In our own parish context, the Celebration of Life service brought these themes into sharp focus as we approach our 175th anniversary. For almost two centuries, this Church has stood at the crossroads of shipyards, working–class streets, conflict, regeneration and demographic change, and the challenges around us have not diminished. If anything, they have intensified. Yet the calling of the Church remains constant.

We are placed here so that the light of Christ may be made known not through distance but through presence, as we come alongside our neighbours with the conviction that every person is created in the image of God, worthy of honour, dignity and love, and that this God–given identity finds its true fulfilment and restoration through faith in Christ who stepped outside the city gate for us. In contexts where hopelessness often feels overwhelming, it is our hope in Christ that motivates our perseverance in mercy and shapes our understanding of what it means to be a people sent into the places of fracture and need, and it is that same hope that holds out the promise of wholeness for every human life, including those whom society is quickest to overlook.

Urban ministry in places like ours invites the Church of Ireland to consider how the parish system becomes a gift when congregations commit themselves to long–term presence in communities where need is most visible. It requires us to use our buildings, our partnerships and our people not chiefly for maintenance but as instruments of mercy and hospitality for the sake of Christ.

It encourages us to cultivate a public theology that listens to the cries of the vulnerable, speaks truthfully about the social conditions that shape their lives, and embodies the compassion of Christ in practical and relational ways. It is our call to fruitful living and faithful discipleship, it is the outworking of the Great Commission in parts of our cities that we might often wish to ignore. And, it is not simply the burden of the local parish, it is our collective responsibility to go, and support those places on the front line in our mission for Christ together as Anglicans.

The Celebration of Life service was not simply a moment of remembrance. It was a call to attention and Gospel readiness. It asked us to see every life as precious, to understand the complexity of homelessness with humility and honesty, and to allow our discipleship to be shaped by the needs of those outside the camp, so that they can know the love of God in the same way we have had. It calls us to embrace radical hospitality that embraces the mess of the world rather than closing our doors and hearts to it, so that the love of Christ is known.

As we move deeper into Advent, with its themes of waiting, displacement and the surprising arrival of God in unexpected places, my prayer is that the Church across this island will hear the challenge of this moment and respond with courage, compassion and clarity of faith, so that every person, housed or unhoused, may know that they are not forgotten, and they are loved by the God who knows their suffering, by his suffering outside the city walls so that we might have eternal hope by faith even amid the most hopeless situations in our times.

St Paul and St Barnabas, Belfast, forms part of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor. To explore how you can support Depaul, in a variety of different ways, please visit its website: https://ie.depaulcharity.org/get-involved

Enquiries for the Press Office can be made through the contact details below or through the online contact form at the following link: www.churchofireland.org/contact

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The Commission’s two–page flyer – Sharing hope with people without a home – highlights how any parish, in any part of the island, can take one or more small steps forward in this area, now and into the new year.  Indeed, many parishes already take a strong interest in giving or otherwise assisting homelessness charities.  Suggestions include:

• collections and donations for registered charities working to prevent and alleviate homelessness;
• providing fruit and vegetables for families and individuals who may have a need for better nutrition due to their household’s circumstances; and
• welcoming people to parish social activities and free Christmas dinners organised by the parish or others.

The Commission is asking people who make use of the resource to remember, above all else, that each person experiencing homelessness is unique, facing unique challenges, and deserves compassion and respect.  The best response will be guided by requests expressed by professionals working in this area – parishes are asked to make contact with public services and charities, to discuss and offer support.

Sharing hope with people without a home can be downloaded, printed and shared from this link: www.tinyurl.com/homeless-christmas

“Homelessness – the word makes everybody’s heart sink,” Archbishop Michael Jackson, who chairs the Commission, stated as he endorsed the resource.

“At Christmas we think of Mary and Joseph making a home for the infant Son of God.  Our hope is that the enclosed information will help us to assist those in our neighbourhoods, at a time when passing by on the other side is not an option when we see the pressing need, despair and weakness brought about by homelessness.

”If your parish has a story about how you help people who are homeless, please contact the Church of Ireland Press Office at pressoffice@rcbcoi.org - this will be shared with the Commission so that it can gather up a better understanding of the Church of Ireland’s response to housing and homelessness issues across our island.

‘It is with great sadness that we learned today of the death of Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, a lifelong social justice advocate and founder of Focus Ireland. Sr Stan was a woman of extraordinary dedication, empathy and charity towards those in greatest need. Her courage, vision and determination in embracing those on the margins of society, gave a practical expression to the Gospel call to love thy neighbour.

‘Her legacy will endure in the lives of all who were touched by her ministry. Her ability to see the humanity in all people and to spot inequity in Irish society and, most importantly, work to address it at the highest level was an inspiration to many. Through her work in co–founding Young Social Innovators, she will continue to inspire generations of young people to tackle social problems in their own communities.  

‘We offer our condolences to all those who Sr Stan loved and were loved by her, especially to the Religious Sisters of Charity.’

Enquiries for the Press Office can be made through the contact details below or through the online contact form at the following link: www.churchofireland.org/contact

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Yesterday’s Budget 2026 announcements from the Government provide both reasons for cautious optimism, and serious questions for our collective conscience. Budgetary numbers, however well intentioned, must be reinforced by compassion and moral duty in their implementation. The common good always need to be served by fiscal and budgetary provision. Such common good is formed by values outside of the numbers that must give expression to such budgetary provision.

At a time of increasing economic unpredictability and as more and more people live alone on the margin of belonging, and on the knife–edge of survival, we welcome the Government’s increase in social welfare payments alongside an increase in the National Minimum Wage. Ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society are not left behind, is one of the cornerstones of our faith, and also of our citizenship.

The announcement of a record level of total funding to the tune of €27.4 billion for the Department of Health is encouraging, but the issue of hospital waiting lists, overcrowding, and struggling services persists; and while it persists, it escalates.

The scourge of homelessness is one of the great issues of our time. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on homelessness prevention, as a key issue in this acute expression of a housing crisis. While it is encouraging to see an increase in investment in this area, the scale of need is vast. We, like many others, fear that in practice, the additional resources announced in this area may still fall short of what is required.

Looking to our children and young people, the increase in school capitation allowances, and a reduction in the third level student contribution are to be welcomed. However, demand on our educational institutions remains high and is continually growing. Increased and sustained investment in this sector is vital to ensuring that future generations are provided with the necessary skills to thrive. Plans to establish a DEIS+ scheme are to be welcomed, as this initiative provides valuable additional supports to schools in our least resourced communities.

It is heartening to see the commitment to overseas aid and relief being maintained in Budget 2026, as Ireland contributes to global efforts to reduce the suffering of conflict and famine across many war–torn regions in our world.

Continued support for the Shared Island initiative, funding for which has doubled until 2035 is to be commended. The projects which come under this initiative are morally and practically important, fostering peace, creating a shared sense of belonging, and helping to build connections and understanding across and within very different communities.

While continued efforts to reduce our carbon emissions are welcome, climate change will not wait for humanity to catch up. This crisis must be addressed with extreme urgency to safeguard the futures of our children, and the health of our earthly home.

Economic measures alone cannot remedy the divisions of inequality, prejudice and alienation in our society. We are reminded by our Christian faith that “whatever you did to one of these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). May this Budget be judged not only on its economics, but on how it responds to those in greatest need, especially those who struggle in silence, pain and humiliation.

The Most Rev Dr Michael Jackson

Archbishop of Dublin and Chairperson of the Church and Society Commission

Its full response to the Programme for Government is below:

The Commission fully appreciates the tight financial position within which the Northern Ireland Executive must operate. Consequently, it acknowledges that not everything on an ever–expanding ‘wish list’ can be delivered, at least not in one financial cycle. In this context, the Programme for Government is a significant achievement.

Overall, the Commission recognises that this is the first Programme for Government in ten years and, as such, shows a determination by political leaders to set Northern Ireland on a firm path of stability, reconstruction and growth. It represents another step in the task of restoring confidence in our political institutions and is tangible evidence that parties with very different perspectives can work together for the sake of all our communities and for the common good.

The Commission welcomes efforts enshrined in this Programme for Government to address the many and serious challenges in the Health Service. There is considerable value in cross–border co–operation in this area of policy through the sharing of specialities and new medical techniques, and their application in care and treatment.  Cutting waiting lists and increasing investment in services will bring some comfort and relief to tens of thousands of people. However, additional information on timelines is required before a considered assessment can be made. 

The commitment to start building 5,850 new homes by 2027 is a welcome initiative, especially in the context of escalating homelessness. Although it falls far short of the social housing figure that is required, it nevertheless signals an intention to address the issue. Housing provision on a cross–community basis is a foundation for a fully integrated society and, as such, a high priority in the development of society in Northern Ireland.

Childcare intervention is urgently required. Here, Ministers say that they will agree a strategy, but this must be implemented at speed. Too many parents are having to opt out of work because of the prohibitive cost of childcare. This drastic step by talented people not only denies them the right to use their skills but is a barrier to economic growth.

Northern Ireland has traditionally suffered from a brain drain of young people fuelled by a cap in university places. A joined–up plan between the Department of Education and the Department of Economy is needed to tackle this trend.

We are encouraged by the focus on Special Educational Needs (SEN) but are concerned that there is no mention of the many other issues currently causing strain and friction across the full education landscape. Central to this is a long–terms plan and the provision of the core funding urgently required to address crumbling educational infrastructure.

The Commission also welcomes mention of what is required to address the ever–growing issues of climate change and environmental preservation. We encourage policymakers to acknowledge the daily work of our farmers, often under significant financial pressures, so that all of us (and many others beyond Northern Ireland) can have good and nutritious food to eat, and to proactively work with (and listen to) the agricultural sector and rural communities in meeting these challenges. In particular, we welcome plans to tackle the environmental disaster in Lough Neagh as well as recognition of the work to deal with water and wastewater. Given the scale of these challenges, we would have liked to have seen greater urgency, and more concrete deadlines towards achieving sustainable targets.

In other areas, the Commission is disappointed by the absence of a much–needed additional funding stream for policing. Keeping and maintaining the peace is a fundamental and rudimentary obligation of government. Officer numbers are historically and dangerously low and reinvestment in equipment is urgently required. If services to the public are to be maintained, then the Northern Ireland Executive must step in with a meaningful budget to ensure that the PSNI can function at a level that delivers confidence for all.  The particular challenges of policing along a land border mean that communities in these areas, on both sides of the border, require further support for maintaining law and order, and co–operation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána must remain a high priority. The Commission welcomes the emphasis in the Programme for Government on tackling violence against women and girls, including its reference to the important role of community, voluntary and grassroots organisations in helping to address these issues. Furthermore, it is encouraging to see the commitment to introduce better access and support for victims and survivors in the criminal justice system.

There is much to do, and this Programme for Government is but a start, a positive first step. We believe that it would have benefitted from clearer targets and more specific detail on delivery times. We now wait to see what is contained in the Northern Ireland Budget.

A Prayer for Northern Ireland

God of our ancestors, God of our future;
from whom all authority comes,
We pray for the legislative Assembly and its Executive;
By your gracious help may it give Northern Ireland good governance, serve with integrity and seek the common good;
that all people may live peaceably, and grow in respect for one another;
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Enquiries for the Press Office can be made through the contact details below or through the online contact form at the following link: www.churchofireland.org/contact

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As many readers will recall, a resolution proposed by the Revd Raymond Kettyle and seconded by the Revd James Boyd at the 2023 General Synod requested that the Commission explore, and if necessary recommend and/or draft resources which will enable parishes to engage pastorally with, and care for, individuals and communities still deeply affected by trauma from the Troubles. 

Initially, we invited the proposer and seconder to the early meetings to give them an opportunity to outline their hopes for progress on the resolution and provide us with some guidance and direction.  We also invited Cate Turner from Healing through Remembering, the Revd Shona Bell from the Corrymeela Community, and Canon Alan Irwin to share their perspectives on the issues raised.  At Canon Irwin’s suggestion, the group took a bus tour in border areas organised by the South East Fermanagh Foundation where we heard stories from persons who had experienced loss and who felt marginalised and ignored in current attempts to find reconciliation.

The message we heard was clear.  There needed to be a co–ordinated approach by the Church to acknowledge the hurt and pain of the past and the difficulties achieving or grasping forgiveness. That extended to victims of the past who felt that their stories needed to be heard, and their pain recognised, in order to help them start their steps to healing.

We have therefore come to the conclusion that a three–pronged approach is required.

Firstly, a liturgical response through a service and set of prayers, and potentially endorsing existing initiatives such as the annual service of reconciliation that takes place in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.

Secondly, some form of education for clergy whether generally or in training for ordination to help address the needs of parishioners who are suffering from trauma.

Thirdly, a leaflet signposting victims in some meaningful way to existing organisations who are well versed in dealing with trauma and can provide meaningful assistance.

We are currently expanding on this approach with a view to making a presentation and a launch of these resources at General Synod 2025, put together with the assistance of the Liturgical Advisory Committee and professionals with an expertise in this area.

Through the resolution, the Church has been presented with a vehicle to help promote the message of reconciliation, which is even more challenging when we seek peace and healing after deep divisions have emerged.

Reconciliation is central to the Church’s role and the teachings of Christ emphasise forgiveness as a critical part of our faith.  Forgiveness is, in itself, a difficult process, but one which offers the hope that bridges can be built – or rebuilt – between those who take that journey.

The resolution is likewise a good basis from which to advocate for justice and address what some feel is an injustice that might otherwise remain unresolved.  We as a Commission want to listen to victims, in their hurt and pain, to help to create a safe space for dialogue about these issues.

In short, this involvement in community reconciliation aligns with our mission as a Church to promote love, justice, and healing, making it a powerful catalyst for fostering lasting peace and harmony in communities.

The members of the working group are Zephryn Patton, Neville Armstrong, Jane Burns, June Butler, and Ken Gibson.  If you have any queries, please contact the Church and Society Commission’s secretary, Stuart Wilson, at stuart.wilson@rcbcoi.org

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Over recent months, members of both Dáil Éireann and the House of Commons have introduced proposals for legislation intended to legalise assisted suicide.  

We understand the powerful emotions involved in any discussion of the issues involved and that the proposals are put forward in good faith, and with good intentions. We recognise that all involved in this discussion have a genuine concern and compassion for those who are suffering, watching another suffer or who are living in fear of a lingering, painful death. We believe firmly that anyone coming to the end of their natural life should have the greatest possible care to help them live out their remaining time with dignity, minimising their pain or suffering. What we do not accept is that legislating for assisted suicide is the best way to help those suffering.

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18

Life’s value as a gift

As Christians we believe that all life is created in the image of God, as a gift from Him, and has intrinsic value, regardless of who we are, our personal circumstances and our abilities and limitations. If we accept that, in some cases, there are those who by means of age, disability or illness would qualify for assisted suicide, have we not judged their life to have less value? How can they be expected to see meaning and value in their own life if we accept that this value somehow depends on a person’s health or their stage in life?

As the overall age of the population moves upwards, there are often understandable concerns and discussions around the economic consequences of caring for the elderly for the rest of the population. So common is this talking point that we can lose sight of how this framing devalues and depersonalises older people. No longer contributing to the workforce and so past their useful economic lifespan, they become, even if only in the abstract, perceived as a burden.

The social pressure that this creates is not direct, but it is real, and it is insidious. Amid a housing crisis and times of economic uncertainty, the social pressure that this puts on older people is immense, as we subconsciously tell our elders that perhaps things would be better for their families if they simply moved on.  Our faith requires us, as Christians, to protect the vulnerable, the poor, the orphan and the widow. If we allow our society to create pressure, albeit inadvertently, on anyone who is vulnerable to end their lives, we fail in that duty.

Changing boundaries

When lawmakers elsewhere have legalised assisted suicide, they have found time and again that it is incredibly difficult to maintain and enforce legal and ethical boundaries. Laws written with great care are still found lacking and parliaments and assemblies find themselves allowing wider and wider criteria, as occurred, for example, in both Canada and Columbia in a relatively short period of time. 

The surest safeguard in law for our lives and the lives of others, especially the most vulnerable, is ‘do not kill’. It should also be recalled that there is no legally recognised human right to assisted suicide, despite many years of litigation in the European Court of Human Rights. Indeed, that court has recently rejected a human rights claim in this very context, stressing that the wider social implications and risks of abuse and error in the provision of assisted suicide were to be weighed heavily in the balance (Karsai v. Hungary, September 2024). 

Trust

Introducing assisted suicide marks a radical change in the doctor–patient relationship and in the duties of the doctor. We risk damaging the essential trust between doctor and patient. Can a patient who might meet the criteria for assisted suicide trust in the care they will receive? Must the doctor who serves a patient who wishes to kill themselves always accept that this choice is correct? 

We do not accept that legislating for assisted suicide will inevitably reduce suffering. The only inevitability of such legislation seems to be its progressively widening scope. Instead, our governments should work to ensure the best possible palliative care is available to all regardless of their location or financial situation, so that no–one need to fear suffering in death. We also acknowledge that the Church of Ireland has an important role to play in the provision of pastoral and spiritual support for those facing what may feel like an impossible burden of suffering.

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27

Enquiries for the Press Office can be made through the contact details below or through the online contact form at the following link: www.churchofireland.org/contact

Church of Ireland Press Office

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In this new video, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Chair of the Church of Ireland’s Church and Society Commission, encourages viewers to consider what they can do, as part of their social responsibility and concern, to support those in homelessness and to serve neighbours who feel especially vulnerable.

Suggestions from the Commission’s current resource on the issue – Sharing hope with people without a home – include providing fruit and vegetables for families and individuals who may have a need for better nutrition due to their household’s circumstances, and welcoming people to parish social activities.

The Commission is asking leaders in parishes to remember, above all else, that each person experiencing homelessness is unique, facing unique challenges, and deserves compassion and respect.  The best response will be guided by requests expressed by professionals working in this area with whom parishes are asked to make contact, to discuss and offer support.

Every parish in every part of the island can take some small action, bearing in mind that homelessness is also a rural challenge although it can be less visible in that setting.

Advent is a very appropriate time for praying for all homeless people worldwide as we approach the Season of Christmas in which God came to Earth as a vulnerable baby.

Archbishop Jackson also encourages advocacy by voters on homelessness, as the Irish general election approaches at the end of next week.  This call to be a voice, on behalf of people without a home, runs alongside the Commission’s response to the draft Programme for Government for Northern Ireland which calls on the Executive to target its finances on meeting social need.

The video is available on the Church of Ireland’s website and social media channels, and Sharing hope with people without a home can be downloaded, printed and shared from this link: https://tinyurl.com/homeless-christmas

Enquiries for the Press Office can be made through the contact details below or through the online contact form at the following link: www.churchofireland.org/contact

Church of Ireland Press Office

Tel: (028/048) 9082 8880
Duty mobile: +353 87 9484412