Dr Gladys Ganiel of ISE commented in the Irish Times correspondence column: Sir, – Archbishop Michael Jackson’s observations on “Facing up to Failings in Church of Ireland’s View of the other” (Opinion, October 22nd) come as no surprise to me, as they confirm many of the findings of survey research I conducted in 2009 as part of the Irish School of Ecumenics’ Visioning 21st Century Ecumenism research project.
The surveys, one of clergy and one of laypeople, revealed that such views are not limited to the Church of Ireland in the Republic, but rather remain endemic in most of our Christian denominations island-wide.
For example, one conclusion that could be drawn from the surveys is that most Christians on this island either overlook or deny sectarianism. While we did not ask specifically about sectarianism, we included questions about “reconciliation”. As many Christians on this island are aware, “reconciliation” work has often been advanced as a mechanism to overcome sectarianism.
But overwhelmingly, both clergy and laity thought of reconciliation in very individual terms (between individuals and God or between individuals), with most failing to see “social” forms of reconciliation (between Catholics and Protestants, between people of other religions, and between people of different ethnicities) as important.
Further, while most churches (especially in the Republic) reported ethnic minorities and immigrants in their congregations, 44 per cent of clergy said that they had never done something to accommodate them.
There are of course sterling exceptions to these trends in individual parishes and congregations. But I agree with Jackson that there are underlying patterns of exclusion and (at best) a systematic failure to see diversity as a gift rather than a burden.
Towards the end of his reflections, Jackson recommends that the Church of Ireland return to its “Hard Gospel” project. The Hard Gospel, which wound down around 2009, focused on overcoming sectarianism and approaching diversity positively. In terms of its quality of content and its reach, the Hard Gospel is the most impressive such programme ever attempted by a denomination on this island.
But since the initiative has ended, it is unclear that champions of anti-sectarianism and embracing diversity have emerged among clergy and laypeople in local parishes to carry the vision forward. From informal conversations, I have also gathered that some people think the project unintentionally replicated the stereotypical view that sectarianism is a “Northern problem” and diversity is a “Southern Problem”.
Even more concerning, in our surveys, we asked clergy whether their denomination or wider religious community had provided them with adequate training or resources for promoting reconciliation.
While 52 per cent of clergy overall said that they had received adequate training for promoting reconciliation, the least likely to say that they had were from the Church of Ireland, at just 31 per cent. While this finding requires further investigation, I wonder did the Hard Gospel alert Church of Ireland clergy to just how challenging it is to overcome sectarianism and handle diversity positively – making them realise that they need more help?
If so, a sequel to the Hard Gospel would not be a bad place to start. – yours, etc,
Dr GLADYS GANIEL,
Assistant Prof in Conflict
Resolution & Reconciliation,
Irish School of Ecumenics,
Trinity College Dublin,
Antrim Road,
Belfast.