The Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has expressed his hurt at comments made by the Church of Ireland Archdeacon of Dublin, Gordon Linney, who spoke on the issue of same-sex relationships in Dublin last week.
Speaking during an evensong service at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin yesterday, Archbishop Martin said: "It would not be honest of me speaking here today in a Church of Ireland cathedral not to refer to a certain hurt that I felt in these days by words attributed in the press to a Church of Ireland figure which somehow gave the impression that those who hold different theological positions to the author on the subject of homosexuality, were perhaps less sincere, even fundamentalist, or were associated with having been 'devious' on other serious issues."
Speaking in Monkstown, Co Dublin, on the theme of "Human Sexuality - A Christian Response", Archdeacon Linney had said: "The Roman Catholic tradition, along with Protestant fundamentalism, has taken a very strong and definite stand." He had indicated that his own Anglican Communion "struggles and suffers" with issues such as the gay clergy controversy.
"But I have to ask how people who are so certain about homosexuality being evil could have been so indifferent and even devious when it came to facing up to the issue of child abuse." Archdeacon Linney had called for recognition in law of same-sex relationships.
He said he believed the State "should enact legislation to allow gay people to have registered stable relationships with all the benefits and rights that go with that status such as inheritance law and so forth".
Yesterday, Archbishop Martin contended that the Catholic tradition is "not that different from the Protestant tradition of searching". The Roman Catholic tradition also "struggles and suffers", he said, as it wrestles with the issues of people of each generation. The answers arrived at in various cases may not always have been fully authentic.
"The same can be said of complex conclusions drawn in good faith by all our traditions. What we should avoid is to claim that these conclusions were any less the fruit of heart-rending searching."
Rather than focus on new disagreements with each other, we should all set out on the path towards unity, according to the archbishop, who called for "clarity and respect for each other's searching" on these differences.
Disunity among the Christian churches is a "scandal" which is preventing Christians from knowing Jesus, according to the archbishop.
He called on Christians to address their sinful responsibility for this state of affairs.
According to Archbishop Martin, the disunity among the Christian churches has made it more difficult to answer important Christian questions.
"We continue to give the people of our time mixed messages. People find it difficult to identify where they can really find Jesus. We have to remind ourselves daily how much our divisions as Christians prevent people from knowing Jesus."
It is not enough to express sorrow, apologise or seek forgiveness for disunity, according to the archbishop.
"We must also address our individual sinful responsibility today for the perpetuation of the disunity which exists among the followers of Christ."