The Rev John Dixon, who becomes Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, has expressed gratitude to the people of the Republic following the recent referendums.
"I would want to thank the people of the South for so considerably changing the Constitution," he said. "I think we Presbyterians should say thanks as it was something this church has been asking for, for years."
Dr Dixon expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the referendum in the North also - he was glad the result was so decisive as anything else would have created a situation of great uncertainty. But he counselled against triumphalism on any part of the island.
"We have a tendency to invest developments with tremendous significance, often inflating their importance, and when they don't live up to our expectations we are very disappointed," he said. There was still a lot of soul-searching going on within his own church on elements of the Belfast Agreement, and "a lot of genuine confusion over whether it was right to vote Yes or No".
His concern now was to help people put all that behind them and "to work forward to ensure the institutions envisaged work to the benefit of all." In that context, he notes, the role of a constructive opposition was central to the effectiveness of such institutions. But he was dismissive of any "destructive, wrecking tactics".
He defended the church's decision not to take a public stance on the agreement. "It is a political not a moral document, and although the Gospel is concerned with politics, it is not party political," he said.
On sectarianism
Dr Dixon said his church had spoken of sectarianism as a sinful tendency which can be overcome only through the grace of God. Christians with this "inability to see others' point of view" were charged by God to show love even to their enemies.
He agreed there was a perception that the division between the churches had contributed to sectarian hatreds and commented that perhaps the churches had not been as sensitive to one another's viewpoint as they might have been.
People from the different churches had identified and expressed themselves through the institutional body in ways that were tribal, he said, but that may be changing. The young, he noted, held more centrally to their faith in Jesus (than to the institutional church).
He thought this "has permeated many churches" now and that people are growing cynical about tribal sectarianism. He would like to see the church "transformed, not conformed by sectarianism", moulding the world rather than being moulded by it.
The Presbyterian Church has no official relationship with the Orange or other loyal orders, he said, though he estimated that about a third of Orange Order members are members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Referring to Drumcree, he would like to see everybody keep calm as the date for the Orange march neared, and that those who speak should do so wisely, seeking God's view over their own.
On abortion
Dr Dixon has said he would be very concerned if abortion was banned outright by referendum in the Republic.
Emphasising that he does not want to see abortion on demand or an open-door policy, he recognised that in certain cases it may be the lesser evil in saving the life of the mother.
Presbyterians value the sanctity of human life, he said, but where abortion is concerned they "would not be as prescriptive as the Roman Catholic Church". It was not a black and white issue, he said, stipulating instances where it might be morally justified to perform an abortion. These included gross abnormality of a foetus, some rape cases, and where the mother's life is was in danger.
In each case abortion should only take place following extensive medical and professional advice, he said. And just as he does not want to see abortion banned outright in the Republic, he does not want to see abortion legislation in the North relaxed into line with the UK.
On Catholicism
Dr Dixon will not be attending Mass in his year of office, should the occasion arise. He has never been to a Mass and would not go in his new role either, he said. In conscience, for him and people like him to do so would be hypocritical or to ignore their deeply held convictions about some Catholic doctrines.
In particular he and people of his view in the Presbyterian Church have problems with Catholic teachings on Mary; the saints; Communion - the Catholic Church teaches that bread and wine becomes, literally, the body and blood of Christ at the consecration. Protestants generally see Christ as "somehow present" alongside the bread and wine; mediation between God and the individual by third parties; the infallibility of the Pope; and such "traditions of men" as he put it, quoting a Biblical phrase.
Such Presbyterians also fear that attendance at Mass might give rise to a perception that somehow they were giving "apparent endorsement" to something they believed to be in error. Other Presbyterians, while holding similar views to Dr Dixon's, do not have problems in conscience about attending Mass.
However, Dr Dixon would not rule out attendance at other prayer services which may involve Catholic priests.
He accepted his church's decision not to invite a Catholic representative to the General Assembly this year. While Catholic priests have attended some opening nights as guests of the General Assembly in the past, no representative of the Catholic Church has ever been officially invited to attend the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly.
The matter was raised by Dublin members at the General Assembly last year and it was referred back to the church's 21 presbyteries for further consideration. A significant majority have since decided to hold to the status quo. Eglise Reformee de France, the Reformed Church in Romania, and the Church of North India.
However it is understood that, though a majority of presbyteries in Ireland voted not to change the current position re the Catholic Church,the vote was close in most cases and a trend towards extending an invitation is being maintained.
Dr Dixon pointed out that the Catholic Church is not the only one not to receive an invitation. The Unitarian Church receives no invitation either, as Unitarians "do not accord Jesus divinity".
He was at pains to emphasise the great improvement in interchurch relations over recent decades and the growth of genuine respect for each others' beliefs and the different ways of worship. Presbyterian Church which does not want to move forward."
On the issue of inter-church Communion, out of respect for his Catholic neighbours he recognised that they "may have principled problems being together with us". His own church operates an "open table" policy, whereby every Christian is invited to take Communion, and there is no ruling in the Presbyterian Church on whether members may take Communion at Mass.
He said the Catholic Church's Ne Temere decree on mixed marriages was "not terribly relevant in our context", but he recognised that things had become easier due to a relaxation of Catholic Church regulations.
He expressed sympathy for all those affected by current problems in the Catholic Church, saying he was "distressed for those who have been distressed". But "in so far as man's traditions are shown to be finite and fallible, and I'm not referring just to the Roman Catholic Church, it is good," he said. If it begins a search for truth as in Christ, then it was to be welcomed.
On past and future
In his church there were "pockets of interest" in the 1798 rebellion - but "it would have passed me by if others hadn't brought it up". The involvement of Presbyterians in the leadership of the United Irishmen and the rebellion "is not something that leaps out at one", Dr Dixon said.
The church's historical society had reissued a booklet in connection with 1798, but had no plans for services to commemorate it. Political movements pass away, he said, unlike the Gospels, and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland was "neither nationalist nor unionist but was loyal to the jurisdiction within which it found itself".
The church has a role to play on school boards, he said, but sometimes thinks this is not fully recognised. He would prefer denominational education. He emphasised that the point of distinction the churches have to offer is grace, and that Christians can be a people of grace breaking the world's cycle of "ungrace" - conflict, division, distress in family, community, country.
He felt a sense of excitement and optimism about the year ahead, but urged that all keep their eyes focused on the sovereign Lord while keeping feet firmly on the ground.
Personally speaking, he did not feel in any way worthy of the role to which he has been elected - but said his hope and confidence in the God who brought him there gives him strength.