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24/01/2002
Local church leaders meet with Tony Blair
The leaders of the four main churches in Northern Ireland have expressed hope for the future following a meeting with the Prime Minister Tony Blair in London.
The four leaders - Catholic Primate of Ireland Archbishop Dr Sean Brady, president of the Methodist Church, the Reverend Harold Good, Archbishop Robin Eames and Presbyterian Moderator Dr Alastair Dunlop - met Mr Blair in Downing Street on Thursday January 24.
Speaking after the hour-long meeting, Dr Eames said it had been constructive.
“The Prime Minister wanted to get a briefing on how we have been working together and particularly to get an account from us of what the churches have been doing over the years at the ground level during the Troubles,” he said.
“He wanted to emphasise his own commitment to the way forward in combating sectarianism and we looked in detail at how the churches could assist in this process.”
Methodist leader Dr Good said the collective hope was that churches could play a part in healing process.
Dr Dunlop added: “I think it would be unrealistic to think that after 30 years of the kind of violence we have experienced you can suddenly switch all that off.
“There is a legacy of lawlessness from all those years of violence but we want to move beyond that now.” (AMcE)
The four leaders - Catholic Primate of Ireland Archbishop Dr Sean Brady, president of the Methodist Church, the Reverend Harold Good, Archbishop Robin Eames and Presbyterian Moderator Dr Alastair Dunlop - met Mr Blair in Downing Street on Thursday January 24.
Speaking after the hour-long meeting, Dr Eames said it had been constructive.
“The Prime Minister wanted to get a briefing on how we have been working together and particularly to get an account from us of what the churches have been doing over the years at the ground level during the Troubles,” he said.
“He wanted to emphasise his own commitment to the way forward in combating sectarianism and we looked in detail at how the churches could assist in this process.”
Methodist leader Dr Good said the collective hope was that churches could play a part in healing process.
Dr Dunlop added: “I think it would be unrealistic to think that after 30 years of the kind of violence we have experienced you can suddenly switch all that off.
“There is a legacy of lawlessness from all those years of violence but we want to move beyond that now.” (AMcE)
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