Lord Eames and Cardinal Sean Brady have been tireless in their quest for peace.This week leading clerics and members of the main Churches have been honouring the Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor Anthony Farquhar for his peace-making work as an ecumenist of international repute.
A new book titled Inter-Church Relations: Developments and Perspectives has been published by Veritas to mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a bishop.
In it, a number of distinguished contributors have praised Tony Farquhar’s work, including the Roman Catholic Primate Cardinal Sean Brady who notes that he was “engaged actively in promoting bonds of friendship and understanding at times when it has been far from easy to do so”.
The Cardinal is correct, in that the years of the Troubles presented some of the most difficult challenges to clergy in all the Churches.
These included the litany of killing and funerals, with distraught relatives and communities needing comfort and courage at a time when it seemed that peace would never return to Northern Ireland.
Even though these were the worst of times, the role of the Church was clear and comparatively easy — in that violence on all sides was condemned and people from all sides were exhorted to become better neighbours.
However, this clerical challenge and the Churches’ landscape has changed significantly since the peace process.
There is still a need to condemn violence, and to promote good relations between the Churches and their members, but the issues are even more complicated today.
The Catholic Church faces the enormous challenge of the lack of clerical ordinations and the child abuse scandal still casts a long shadow — despite all the Church’s attempts to deal with the problem effectively and to move on.
The Protestant Churches face their own challenges, not least in relating to the loyalist communities which have lost faith not only in the political process but also in their traditional ties to Protestant denominations.
Both major denominations also face many problems in common, including the increasing influence of secularisation and the common assumption that affluence can buy almost anything, including happiness and inner fulfilment.
In a recent and important speech Cardinal Brady railed against the secularisation of Europe and the absence of any spiritual dimension to current European legislation and lifestyles.
In doing so he was echoing one of the major themes of Pope Benedict XVI who regards the secularisation of Europe as one of the major challenges facing the entire world Church.
As if this was not a big enough challenge internationally, the Reformed and Catholic Churches face big problems over women bishops and the attitude to same-sex relationships.
The recent decision by the Church of England to ordain women bishops, and the worldwide Anglican furore over homosexuality has placed further obstacles in the path of dialogue with Rome, which will not be removed easily.
Nearer home, the Reformed and Catholic Churches in Ireland have travelled a long way together in the past 25 years since Anthony Farquhar was ordained as a Bishop.
However, much remains to be achieved and it is difficult to see where radical further developments can be made on this island in the short-term, particularly on the question of mixed marriages, shared schooling and inter-communion, and other matters.
Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge what has been achieved and this week’s tribute to Bishop Farquhar and all who have shared his work, is deserved and timely.
As Cardinal Brady notes: “We need to be reminded continuously that inter-Church relations are developing.
“New things are happening all the time at both official and local levels, we need, above all, to witness to our interdependence and mutual belonging as members of the body of Christ.”
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(Source: BT)