Theme of reconciliation is key message at ​Church of Ireland general synod in Armagh

"Reconciliation in the religious sense is a gift given to us by God, but it is also a vocation – indeed a struggle – to engage in, as we work out patiently and sometimes painfully what it means in every aspect of our lives: our personal lives, lives in our communities and our life in the world," said the primate who last week met Pope Francis in Rome as part of an Anglican Communion delegation.

The two-day general synod is the foremost legislative body in the Church of Ireland and 650 delegates from the bishopry, clerics and laity attached to the 11 dioceses of the church in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic will take part over two days of deliberations. Archbishop McDowell said he would be welcoming his Roman Catholic counterpart in Armagh city Archbishop Eamon Martin to the synod as a guest today (Saturday).

The archbishop cautioned: "We do not live in a world that has the appearance of being reconciled and at peace in any sense. There are many parts of the globe where people experience life as a perpetual night; a black darkness. Places like Yemen, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, South Sudan and many more. The commentators have allowed each one to slip from the headlines as a new conflict appears. We have no such option, as each should remain in our prayers and in our practical response. Not to give up once we have committed ourselves to some place or some body is truly Christian.

"As a follower of Jesus Christ, the principal questions which I need to ask myself at any time are: 'how will what I do or say to express my discipleship of Jesus Christ?' and “how will it contribute to the common good?' That is especially important for local or national church leaders and is crucial when we contribute to public debate."

Archbishop McDowell insisted church leaders are not party-political figures, nor are they accredited representatives of any political community. "I cannot say plainly enough, we should not be so. Fortunately, there are a large number of elected representatives from political communities who are able to speak and lead in that sense.

"As a church leader I do not speak for, with, or to the church, or to broader society in relation to political community. In many ways, the political or constitutional affiliation of Church of Ireland people is none of my business. An alignment of denominational and political affiliation has been too significant a feature of the history of this island, and has only succeeded in making many in society suspicious of where the church’s conclusive loyalty really lies.

"It has impeded the church’s usefulness in the world and has at times also cheapened the gospel and its implications."

Archbishop McDowell said it was worthwhile to reflect on common interests of church and society, or where these concerns overlap: that is, in the area of citizenship. What it means to be a good citizen.

"Christianity is not an opting-out of political or social life and conversation. It does not aim to remove people from civic responsibility; on the contrary, it is the place where the deepest kind of civic responsibility is nurtured and carried out into the world. And what is the deepest kind of civic responsibility? To love your neighbour as yourself.

"Part of the purpose of Christian community is to learn to treat people – every person – as capable of civic dignity and freedom; as individuals capable of contributing to their nearer and wider social and political environment by free decision taken in consultation. From that point of view, the citizen assemblies which we call ‘the church’ are places where we argue and debate about what we understand is good for the whole of society."

* Archbishop McDowell, in a reference to his meeting with Pope Francis, said: "Exactly a week ago, during our four-day meeting in Rome, primates of the Anglican Communion had an hour-long audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican. In the course of his short address, the Pope spoke about the primacy of the Holy Spirit and said: 'We are called to pray and to listen to one another, seeking to understand each other’s concerns and asking ourselves, before enquiring of others, whether we have been receptive to the Spirit’s promptings or prey to our own personal or party opinions. .God’s way leads us to cling more fervently to the Lord Jesus, for only in communion with him will we find full communion with one another'."