It is totally appropriate for Irish ministers to attend Northern Ireland centenary church service

A letter from John Cushnahan:
By Letters
Published 9th Oct 2021, 17:26 BST
Updated 9th Oct 2021, 17:29 BST
St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, where the Northern Ireland centenary service will be heldSt. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, where the Northern Ireland centenary service will be held
St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, where the Northern Ireland centenary service will be held

I support the decision of the Irish government to be officially represented at the religious service later this month in Armagh (pictured).

Throughout the controversy over President Higgins’s decision to decline the invitation from the four main churches to attend, there has been a misrepresentation of what was actually stated in the invitation. While some of this has been the consequence of some political commentators not actually reading the invitation, others have been engaged in deliberately misleading the public.

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In particular, Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe’s statement on Clare Byrne’s RTE radio program on Thursday in tandem with statements from Sinn Fein TD’s were inaccurate. To illustrate this, I would like to refer directly to what was actually said in the invitation itself.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Firstly, the invitation describes President Higgins as “President of Ireland” twice in the invitation and not as wrongly alleged by Cathal Crowe and many others that he was referred to as “the President of the Republic of Ireland”.

Secondly, the invitation does not state it is a commemoration. It says and I quote: “The service will provide the opportunity for honest reflection on the past one hundred years, with the acknowledgment of failures and hurts, but also with a clear affirmation of our shared commitment to building a future marked by peace, reconciliation, and a commitment to the common good. The overriding theme will be that of ‘Hope’.”

How can anyone claim that these words describe the event as a “commemoration”.

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It is therefore totally appropriate that we should participate in this ecumenical service.

John Cushnahan, Ex Alliance Party leader and Fine Gael MEP, Co Limerick

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Related topics:Northern IrelandArmaghBen Lowry