Ireland’s Church Leaders unite to
welcome new Power-Sharing Deal
 |
| The Sinn Fein Paryt leader and colleagues during a press conference at Parliament Buildings in Stormont after announcing power-sharing deal (AFP) |
The leaders of Ireland’s main Churches welcome the agreement
reached between Northern Ireland’s political parties and the UK and Irish
Governments. In a statement they say the new deal offers a new start and fresh
hope.
By Linda Bordoni
Ireland’s Church leaders have welcomed the return of the
Northern Ireland Assembly, after Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) backed a plan put together by
the Irish and British governments.
The plan will see the return of power-sharing in the North,
which is only possible under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement if
both the largest unionist and nationalist political parties are in agreement.
A Plenary Session of the Assembly on Saturday will see the
election of a DUP First Minister and Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister along with
a team of ministerial colleagues. Thanks to the deal the Assembly and Executive
are to sit again for the first time in three years.
A sign of welcome progress
In their statement, the leaders of the Catholic Church, the
Church of Ireland, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church and the
Irish Council of Churches said the Stormont Agreement, reached on Thursday
night, is “a sign of welcome progress” that provides an opportunity for a new
start for Northern Ireland’s political institutions and one that can also offer
fresh hope.
The wide-ranging deal contains compromise solutions to the
vexed disputes at the heart of the 36-month power-sharing impasse. It addresses
a series of issues including a dispute about the Irish language and will be
accompanied by what the UK Government has promised will be a major investment
package.
Parties have until 13 January to reach agreement or a new
assembly election could be called.
Reiterating the fact that the faith-based organizations have
continuously sought to encourage all those involved to “work creatively
and courageously towards a deal that would see Northern Ireland’s devolved
institutions up and running again”, they describe the Stormont Deal,
entitled New Decade, New Approach, as ambitious in its
content and reflecting a balanced accommodation focused on the common good:
“one that we hope can begin to address the political and social crisis that has
developed due to the prolonged absence of a functioning Executive and
Assembly.”
The Church leaders’ statement praises the principles of
accountability, transparency and responsibility, identified in the agreement,
which it says,” are crucial to underpinning sustainable government and ensuring
that the experience of the last three years cannot happen again.”
It also notes that the development of trust offers “an
opportunity to build a peaceful and just society that is centred around respect
and recognition of each other’s cultural identity.”
Reconciliation
“As Church leaders, we also welcome the renewed focus on
reconciliation, which will be central to the Executive’s approach, and welcome
practical commitments to extend welfare mitigations, address significant
challenges in education and health, tackle the mental health crisis, and deal
with the continued scourge of paramilitarism and sectarianism,” the statement
reads.
The Church leaders jointly commit to support the new
Executive as it begins its work, and along with others in civic society,
recognise their collective responsibility for the common good.
New start, fresh hope
“Today is a sign of welcome progress that provides an
opportunity for a new start for Northern Ireland’s political institutions and
one that can also offer fresh hope,” the statement concludes, noting that “the
story of the Christian faith is one of new beginnings, where failure is never
final, second chances abound, and all things can be renewed.”
The signatories of the statement are Archbishop Eamon Martin
of Armagh and his Church of Ireland counterpart Archbishop Richard Clarke,
Presbyterian Moderator Rev William Henry, Methodist Church President Rev Sam
McGuffin and Irish Council of Churches President Rev Brian Anderson.
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