Recent articles by Brian Fitzpatrick and David Norris demonstrate the embarrassment, turmoil, anger and distress within the Church of Ireland in the aftermath of Drumcree. In his article in last Saturday's Irish Times, Senator Norris refers to a submission to the Church of Ireland's sub-committee on sectarianism, part-written by Dr Fitzpatrick. Unfortunately, in using phrases like "nothing was done and the report was shelved for a year" and "how regrettable that last May`s Synod should so cautiously have kicked to touch on the matter", Mr Norris appears to accuse the Synod and the sub-committee of deliberate delay in order to avoid following Dr Fitzpatrick's advice. That conclusion is mistaken.

It was Archbishop Eames (much maligned over Drumcree) who suggested in 1987 at the Irish inter-church committee before the General Synod of May 1997 that the churches needed to examine closely the subject of sectarianism. The result was a working party (one of whose co-chairpersons was Mrs Mary McAleese), which six years later published Sectarianism: A Discussion Document.

Sectarianism had often been discussed in the Church of Ireland, both in standing committee and in the role of the church committee before the General Synod of May 1997. The Synod, moved by a powerful address by the Primate focusing chiefly on sectarianism and distressed by the events at Drumcree in 1996, approved overwhelmingly a landmark motion affirming that the Church of Ireland was opposed to sectarianism.

It called on the standing committee to examine church life to identify ways in which the church might be deemed to be accommodating to sectarianism, and sought recommendations for remedial action.

The standing committee's response was immediate. On June 17th a sub-committee on sectarianism was set up and it met for the first time on August 1st. Armed with a working definition of sectarianism, it set about examining five issues: the relationship of the church with the loyal orders; the education of Church of Ireland people in the issues of sectarianism; the content of the historic Formularies and Articles in light of contemporary thinking on sectarianism; the sectarianism of our church history; and the powers of bishops and their ability to act in crisis situations. In addition, a theological analysis of sectarianism was undertaken. No small agenda!

Further, in an exercise in accessibility, an article in the Church of Ireland Gazette of December 17th, 1997, followed by advertisements in January and February 1998, invited submissions from any who felt they could contribute to the work of the sub-committee. It was in response to this invitation that the submission from Dr Fitzpatrick and his colleagues was received. That paper, with 17 others, was given preliminary consideration on February 9th and 10th. All the submissions deserve respect: some are of such importance that we set out to meet the authors. We met Dr Fitzpatrick's group after General Synod on June 23rd.

Those familiar with the timetable for General Synod will know that texts for inclusion in the book of reports must be completed by mid-March. The report of the sub-committee was completed on March 4th in time for the meeting of standing committee on March 10th. Foot-dragging? Deliberate delay?

The paper we furnished was a progress report. There was never any prospect that a major report with recommendations for legislation could appear in time for the Synod of 1998. It will appear in 1999. Insofar as I am able to prevent it, it will not be "kicked to touch". Nor will the submission by Dr Fitzpatrick's group be ignored.

Let it be said in plain words: the subcommittee, and I believe the whole church, is trying seriously to address a problem endemic in Irish society. Our sectarianism has been centuries in the making, and will take years to redress. Let it also be said that sectarianism is a problem that the Church of Ireland has neither alone created nor alone can resolve. It would be encouraging to be assured of similar levels of engagement in other churches. Meanwhile there is a need to distinguish between the particular issues at Drumcree and the long-term and more important issues of sectarianism generally.

The tangled background to the Drumcree situation goes back 200 years. It presents a special example of certain general issues that the Church of Ireland must resolve.

Is processing to and from church generally appropriate (the practice goes back to medieval times)? If the answer is No, all types of procession will have to be abolished. Therefore, is it important to distinguish between controversial and non-controversial church parades? What might be the criteria for such an assessment? Are parades with a political element alone suspect?

Can the wider church be distanced from the individual parish which may choose to host a controversial gathering? Is it credible to dissociate an event inside a church building from events outside when attendance at church is the pretext for the gathering? Is it more damaging for the church if attendance by a particular group is at a regular act of worship or is by private arrangement outside regular hours?

If events surrounding a particular service lead to notoriety affecting the whole church, who should act and what form of action is desirable?

These are issues focused at Drumcree but they are not the complete agenda of a church trying honestly to face a legacy of sectarianism. Indeed, with that wider agenda in mind, some might hold that the Orangemen at Drumcree are as much victims as promoters of sectarianism; sectarian attitudes infect both sides on Garvaghy Road. Where the Orange Order exposes itself to particular censure is that it claims for itself Christian credentials, yet fails manifestly to live them out (see Matt. 5 and 6, but especially 5.21-26 and 5.38-6.6)

Away from Drumcree, the poisonous effects of sectarian attitudes on community life need to be tackled at every level. From political clientelism in public life to religious prejudice reflected in individual attitudes and actions there is much to do. Sectarianism's many mouths feed on the difficulty humans experience in coping with difference (evidence the fact that when sectarian tensions diminish, racially-motivated incidents increase). For its part, the sub-committee on sectarianism will offer the church opportunities for self-examination to help us recognise our own sectarianism; a programme of education to promote change; and specific mechanisms for dealing with the hard cases. Nothing we propose will be specific to Drumcree, nor will anything we propose be inapplicable there.

Archdeacon Alan Harper is chairman of the sub-committee on sectarianism set up in 1997 by the General Synod of the Church of Ireland