Orange leader ‘praying for peace’ following Ardoyne parade ban; Final Dáil abortion debate adjourned; St Patrick’s Cathedral Lady Chapel Opened; Tongues of Fire: How Pentecostals are Changing the Church; Ordinand to run 52 marathons
Orange leader ‘praying for peace’ following Ardoyne parade ban
News Letter – A senior Orange Order figure has said he is “praying for peace” as unionist anger at the latest parade ban intensifies.
Belfast Grand Chaplain Rev Mervyn Gibson was meeting with other Grand Lodge officials on Wednesday night to discuss their approach to the ban on a Twelfth parade passing along a section of Belfast’s Crumlin Road.
Rev Gibson refused to elaborate on the exact nature of the discussions other than to say: “There will be consequences because of this determination and our prayers are that those consequences will be peaceful.”
Despite groundbreaking talks between the Order and a nationalist residents’ group last weekend, the Parades Commission has barred the three local lodges from passing close to the Ardoyne shopfronts on their way home from the main Belfast demonstration.
In a ruling published on Tuesday night, the commission said the morning feeder parade could proceed with up to 100 supporters along that stretch of the Crumlin Road, but the return parade could not walk the 800m section of the road between Woodvale and the Hesketh Road junction.
Last July, nationalist youths attacked police lines with fireworks and petrol bombs following the three lodges parading back to the Ligoniel area.
In statement released yesterday, an Orange Order spokesman described the Parades Commission’s restrictions as “ludicrous”.
He said the ban on the legitimate parade “has effectively signed the death warrant of this discredited and unaccountable quango” which was damaging community relations in north Belfast.
“Such reckless behaviour takes place despite recent genuine and sincere efforts by the County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast to defuse tensions concerning loyal order parades in this part of the city.”
The statement highlighted the recent talks with nationalist residents as a positive sign of progress but added: “The Parades Commission has opted to reward violence and notably the threat posed by dissident republicans. Who can forget the masked gunman, armed with an AK47 rifle, on the streets of Ardoyne last year?
“The Orange Institution does not set out to offend or be provocative. We seek to merely celebrate our civil and religious liberties, which are continuously being trampled on. Even a casual observer can only conclude that the Parades Commission is anti-Protestant in its outlook, set on an unrelenting onslaught against Orangeism and the values we hold dear.”
It concluded: “In spite of obvious provocation, we would call on all not to be drawn into the trap being set by the commission and republicans. While violence may have closed this thoroughfare to a dignified parade; conversely, it will not open the road either.”
The chairman of the Parades Commission has repeatedly defended the body and called on all commentators to “break the cycle of pain and blame” around parading.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/orange-leader-praying-for-peace-following-ardoyne-parade-ban-1-5271189
Final Dáil abortion debate adjourned
BBC News – The final debate on a bill allowing limited abortion in the Republic of Ireland has been adjourned following an all-night session in the lower house of the Irish parliament.
Members of the Dáil spoke until 04:57 BST on Thursday.
They are due to resume the debate on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill later this afternoon.
The Irish government won the first two votes on a range of amendments – more than 160 have been tabled.
By the end of the debate only 11 of the 166 amendments had been dealt with, making it more likely that the government will cut short the debate and introduce a guillotine order later.
European Affairs Minister Lucinda Creighton voted with the government in the two overnight votes, but is expected to go against the measure later this evening. If she does so, she will lose her job and will automatically be expelled from the Fine Gael party.
In a surprise development in the last vote of the debate, Labour TD Michael McNamara from Clare voted against the government. His party said he had made a genuine mistake and pushed the wrong voting button.
The bill allows for a termination when three doctors unanimously agree that a woman is at risk of taking her life.
Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23244515
St Patrick’s Cathedral Lady Chapel Opened After Conservation And Refurbishment
The Lady Chapel at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin was officially opened yesterday evening, Tuesday 9th July, 2013, by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan T.D.. following extensive conservation and refurbishment.
Constructed in the 1270s, the Lady Chapel is one of the oldest sections of St Patrick’s Cathedral, the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, and it had previously been closed to the public. The conservation project cost in the region of €700k and took over six months to complete.
In line with the Cathedral’s commitment to boosting the tourism economy of Ireland, particular emphasis was placed on procuring craftspeople based in Ireland, both for the restoration and the development of new furniture for the Lady Chapel. During the course of the extensive renovation of this section of the Cathedral, certain sections of the stained glass were painstakingly dismantled, cleaned and remounted, and the stone work was thoroughly cleaned.
The Dean of St Patrick’s, The Very Revd Victor Stacey said, ‘The refurbishment of the Lady Chapel has made us more ambitious at St Patrick’s. Although just complete, we can already see how the restoration of this unique space has rejuvenated interest in the Cathedral as a whole. From an aesthetic point of view, it demonstrated how careful restoration can illuminate the architecture and craftsmanship that makes the Cathedral one of the most beautiful in this part of Europe.’
Addressing the official opening, Minister Deenihan said: ‘The reopening of this Chapel represents a considerable addition to Dublin’s attractiveness to visitors and also represents St Patrick’s strong commitment to increasing the offering to visitors from the Cathedral. I would like to congratulate the Cathedral on the enormous amount of work that has gone into making this a reality.’
http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2013/07/st-patrick%E2%80%99s-cathedral-lady-chapel-opened-after-conservation-and-refurbishment.aspx
Tongues of Fire: How Pentecostals are Changing the Church
BBC News – “The movements that God gave me I can split my legs and I wear really tight fitting clothes, but nothing’s ever shown. Your belly never comes out, your chest is covered.”
“I’m not going to start dancing with a thong up my bum.”
Natalie Robinson is young, blonde and a dance teacher.
She dances to worship God as a member of the fastest growing Christian denomination in the world, and one that I’ve been exploring for a new BBC Radio Ulster documentary.
Natalie attends Exchange Church on the Albertbridge Road in the heart of East Belfast, just one of the many independent Pentecostal and Charismatic churches spreading across Northern Ireland.
The numbers of believers attending these churches locally is small – around 15,000 people, just under one per cent of the population, according to the 2011 census – but the global spread of these churches is, in the words of Dr Gladys Ganiel from the Irish School of Ecumenics, “staggering.”
“According to research by the World Christian Database, it’s estimated at about 584 million people worldwide,” she says.
“If you take it as a total of the Christian population, that’s about a quarter, maybe up to 26 per cent.”
The word ‘charismatic’ derives from the Greek for ‘gift’, and these churches all share a common belief in a post-conversion experience where believers are “filled with the Holy Spirit”, receiving spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy or the ability to pray for God’s healing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23092787
Ordinand to run 52 marathons
Church of Ireland ordinand, Alastair Donaldson, has commenced his epic challenge to run 52 marathons in eight and a half weeks, spreading the Gospel as he goes.
The 31 year old, who has just finished his first year at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute (CITI), left his home town of Crossmaglen on Monday 1 July and is currently running through the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough.
Alastair’s 1,298 mile journey will take him on a lap of the island of Ireland. He has taken part in five marathons over the last seven years but his summer challenge will see him run an average of 26 miles a day, six days a week for eight and a half weeks. He will be supported by other runners at various stages on the route and is inviting local runners to join him along the way.
He is accompanied by a support van which is being driven by various volunteers including fellow ordinands, CITI staff, and his sister, Janice. At night he and his team are generally given hospitality by well-wishers along his route. On arrival in each town they hand out leaflets and talk to passers by.
“We’re very relaxed. Some people are interested in the idea of running around Ireland and others are happy to talk about the message we bring,” Alastair explains.
“There is a lot of good will in general. Sometimes you would nearly believe that people have become anti everything in this country and you would think they would appreciate being given information about the Gospel. But I have found that people are pleased to talk to you. We’re in a landscape of feeling against all things Church but we’re trying to share the Gospel, not flogging a Church,” he adds.
International mission agency, Crosslinks, are partnering the ordinand on his venture and hope to be able to link with a number of churches across Ireland.
Alastair ran from Greystones to Arklow on Saturday where he had a rest day on Sunday before setting off for Ferns on Monday 8 July. He will then circumnavigate the rest of the island, arriving back in Crossmaglen on Thursday 29 August.