The new Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rev Dr Ken Newell, was installed at a ceremony in Belfast last night. He succeeds Rev Dr Ivan McKay.
It was the first time a Catholic primate attended such an installation. The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Seán Brady, was a personal guest of Dr Newell's, as were the Church of Ireland primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, and the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Rev Jim Rea.
In an address to the opening session of the Presbyterian General Assembly after his installation, Dr Newell reflected on events in Northern Ireland since the Belfast Agreement. "That wave of hope has given way to a trough of despair," he said.
He continued that "our hope that the 1998 agreement was a new beginning has been undermined. Significant risks were taken to resolve the issue of decommissioning, but those in possession of illegal weapons have yet to embrace the transparency they demand of others.
"In holding on to their arms, they keep political progress at arm's length. Trust has been mugged; it lies bruised on our streets. Paramilitarism still burdens our communities with its interface tensions, internal feuding and rising criminality. If ever we needed a policing service truly owned by all sections of our community, it is now.
"Confidence is draining daily from the political process. We have elected politicians, but no devolved institutions where they can reshape our country. We want our young people to choose here for their future. Elderly people need to feel safe in their homes.
"Those from different ethnic and religious backgrounds long for a warm welcome, not the cold shoulder of racism. Many want to go out for a meal without somebody else's smoke getting up their noses or clogging up the lungs of those who work there eight hours a day. Why should a better life be available elsewhere, when we have the political potential to make it happen here?
"Whether we choose to embrace it or not, our future will be shared with those who have caused us hurt and who have been hurt by us."
He wondered "can we not as churches create a shared space, a forum, where we start dealing with that hurt and foster healing? Whatever form this might take, it lies at the heart of building trust among a traumatised people. Governments and politicians need to make tough choices."
