DELEGATES to the 19th global Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting in Belfast may have observed from their hotel windows the bonfires being readied for the annual 12 July celebrations, which mark the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when the Protestant William of Orange deposed the Roman Catholic James II.
The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell, had quoted W.B. Yeats’s description of Ireland — “Great hatred, little room” — in an address at the start of the conference on Sunday. “The legacy of our division is all around us, especially in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“But although the Island was divided into two political units over 100 years ago, the Church of Ireland did not follow that line of division and in our own very inadequate way, we have tried to witness to what it is to have our principal identity in Jesus Christ, not in any nationality,” said Archbishop McDowell.
“The churches in Ireland haven’t always done as much as we should have to witness against that division, but if we have sometimes been part of the problem, we are now, we hope, part of the solution.”
Anglican churches have a presence in many areas of conflict, including South Sudan, the Middle East, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reconciliation was a theme of the conference and delegates spent Wednesday on a pilgrimage through the city of Derry/Londonderry, which saw bitter sectarian conflict during the Troubles.
Led by the Bishop of Derry & Raphoe, the Rt Revd Andrew Forster, the pilgrimage began at Ebrington Square, a former British military complex, now transformed into a shared civic and cultural space. “Peace is always a fragile thing that must be handled with care — the more care we use, the more we value it as precious,” the Bishop said.
The pilgrims went on to cross the 235-metre Peace Bridge, which opened in 2011 and which, by linking the largely nationalist Cityside with the largely loyalist Waterside, is regarded as one of Northern Ireland’s most powerful symbols of reconciliation.
The route along the old city walls, albeit in the rain, afforded a clear view of the Bogside and of Free Derry Corner, a frequent flashpoint during the Troubles. It was the site of the protest march on what became known as Bloody Sunday, 30 January 1972, when British paratroopers shot 13 Catholic unarmed protestors.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop in Jerusalem, Dr Hosam Naoum, who made a joint pilgrimage to the Holy Land last month, paused for reflection here. At St Augustine’s Church, known locally as “the Wee Church on the Walls”, the pilgrims learned of the Church of Ireland’s peace and reconciliation ministry, and community development work that includes climate resilience.
They met Richard Moore, who, at the age of ten, was blinded by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier. As part of a personal journey towards forgiveness, he has since sought out and met the soldier responsible, Charles Innes, and continues to be in touch with him.
“I believe if you really want reconciliation, it has to begin within yourself,” he told the pilgrims. “Forget everyone else. Begin in your own heart. Not Stormont, not Westminster, not with politicians. If you can’t reconcile your own heart, you can’t reach out to others.”
Archbishop Mullally echoed that sentiment at a concluding service at St Columb’s Cathedral on Wednesday. “It has been very significant for us to walk here today and listen to the story of peace and reconciliation in Derry,” she said. “For us to talk to each other about our own story. And it has been a reminder to me how peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness starts with us. Our prayers are very much with you in Derry. We are grateful for you to pray for us on our journey of reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace.”