Sectarianism ‘alive and well’ in Dublin, says Church of Ireland archbishop; Opinion group votes in favour of gay marriage in Ireland; Confirmation season in Cork begins; New Ireland music
Sectarianism ‘alive and well’ in Dublin, says Church of Ireland archbishop
Irish Times – Patsy McGarry – Archbishop Michael Jackson says he is slow to agree ‘the bad old days’ are behind us.
Sectarianism is “alive and well” in Dublin, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, has said.
Speaking at a colloquium in Trinity College Dublin at the weekend, he said: “My own experience since returning to work in Dublin is that sectarianism, although polite in speech and smile, is alive and well in instinct and in prejudice. It is for this reason that I am particularly slow to agree that ‘the bad old days’ are behind us.”
Dr Jackson was elected Archbishop of Dublin in February 2011.
He told the colloquium on Remembering Vatican II – Some Anglican Perspectives that he was cautious about “too ready criticism of the Irish reception of Vatican II” as he was “well aware of a deep-running psychological trait in the Church of Ireland of my youth which overlapped with Vatican II”. ‘Self-granted status’ In the Church of Ireland “many were content to see the Roman Catholic Church as holding a moral monopoly right across Ireland and many in the Roman Catholic Church and in society were happy to be beneficiaries of this self-granted status.
“With a degree of self-indulgent cynicism, sections of the Church of Ireland were happy to use this as a moral backdrop while rejoicing to trumpet their difference . . .”
He added: “I simply ask the question of those from the Republic of Ireland: How different really was it in those days?”
Developments in Ireland following Vatican II were “hard won” and “there have been many tragedies of innocent expectation along the way. There are landmines of trust betrayed, roadblocks of prejudices strengthened,” he said.
Genuine achievements “must never be swept out on the tide of anxiety and revulsion which has been engendered by child sex abuse. It is not a creation of the post-Vatican II era.”
The downside of any moral monopoly “is always societal and professional collusion at all levels, not only the clerical one”, he said.
“However, when theocracy is added to monopoly there are very specific opportunities for clericalism to flourish to the detriment of the church and the society.” ‘Patience of lay people’ Referring to Vatican II’s broad vision of the people of God, he said: “To an Anglican such as myself, I marvel at the patience of lay people in the Roman Catholic tradition.”
He found himself asking similar questions of his own tradition. Theologically he was “left pondering the depth of influence of both Calvinism and Jansenism to this very day on the traditions of Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism in Ireland, those twins of the Reformation and post-Reformation era, so attractive in cold theological climates”.
Speaking at the same event, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said he believed the time was ripe in Ireland for a review “of where we are in our ecumenical relations. We need to do so in order to understand better the path forward.”
There was, he said, “a wide awareness of the fact that the relationship between the two archbishops here in Dublin is one of friendship”. He had been “greatly supported in difficult moments in my ministry” by two Anglican archbishops.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/sectarianism-alive-and-well-in-dublin-says-church-of-ireland-archbishop-1.1360169
Opinion group votes in favour of gay marriage in Ireland
BBC News – The convention has voted in favour of gay marriage in Ireland. The government must now decide whether to accept the recommendation.
The Irish constitution should be changed to allow for civil marriage for same-sex couples in Ireland, according to a public opinion group.
The constitutional convention was established by the government to examine proposed changes to the Irish constitution.
The vote was 79% in favour and 18% against, 1% no opinion and 2% of the ballots were spoiled.
The Irish government must now decide whether to accept the recommendation.
If they do accept the recommendation, a referendum will have to be held before any change can be made to the constitution…
…A spokesperson for the Catholic communications office said: “While the result of the constitutional convention is disappointing only the people of Ireland can amend the constitution.
“The Catholic Church will continue to promote and see protection for the uniqueness of marriage between a woman and a man, the nature of which best serves children and our society.”
Dr Richard O’Leary of Changing Attitude Ireland said the vote showed that Irish people wanted to “end the second class citizenship of gay and lesbians”.
However, the co-founder of the Church of Ireland group said the existing strong protections in the constitution for freedom of religion were “entirely adequate” and there was no need to amend them “in the light of the extension of civil marriage to same-sex couples”.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Marriage Equality and Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) welcomed the decision as “an historic step”.
ICCL director Mark Kelly said the vote was a landmark moment in the human rights history of Ireland, that sends a clear message to government to ask the Irish people to remove one “of the last bastions of official discrimination in Ireland”
Marriage Equality director Moninne Griffith called on the government to implement the recommendation as soon as possible.
The convention is made up of 100 members. They include chairman Tom Arnold, 29 members of the Irish parliament, four members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and 66 citizens.
Ninety six members voted. The chairman does not vote and three members, Stewart Dickson, Alliance, Alban Maginness, SDLP, and one citizen member, did not attend.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22150030
Confirmation season in Cork begins
St Luke’s Church, Douglas, Cork was full on Sunday 14th April for the first in the Easter season of Confirmations presided over by the Bishop. Eighteen young people from Douglas, Frankfield, Blackrock and Marmullane (Passage West) were confirmed.
New Ireland music news
CHRISTMAS TICKETS
We are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for Ireland in Christmas Praise 2013!
We’re excited to be holding this event in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast on Friday 6th December, 7:45PM.
The event which will feature New Irish Choir & Orchestra, New Irish Youth and guest soloists is a popular annual fixture in many diaries!
Tickets on sale from www.waterfront.co.uk or phone 028 9033 4455
CITY OF CULTURE
Rehearsals get underway this evening for our City of Culture event in Millennium Forum on Saturday 27th April, 7:30PM. Why not order tickets for this special event too?
Available from www.millenniumforum.co.uk or call 028 7126 4455