Church leaders have slammed the government's blueprint for tackling
sectarianism in Northern Ireland.
The Church of Ireland has told First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First
Minister Martin McGuinness that their Cohesion, Sharing and Integration
(CSI) strategy aimed at bridging community divisions will not work.
In a damning report on the proposed legislation it said the plans had "serious
shortcomings" and would fail to provide a shared future.
The Church today published in full its response to the CSI proposals.
"We find that CSI lacks an underlying ethic or ethos and a genuine vision of
what our shared future might look like," it said.
"In such a situation it is difficult to address specific policy areas as these
are either not present or, where they are suggested, are often neither
consistent nor coherent."
It added: "Regrettably it appears that party politics have overtaken a genuine
opportunity for OFMDFM (the Office of First Minister and deputy First
Minister) to deliver a convincing blueprint for the future.
"The inclusion of so much detail on existing policies masks the serious
shortcomings that exist in CSI with regard to future goals and aspirations.
"It is the view of the Church of Ireland that CSI fails to articulate a vision
of, programme for, or pathway to a genuine reconciled future for Northern
Ireland."
The Church appeared to back the view of critics who claim the CSI envisages a
'separate but equal' future for Protestant and Catholic communities.
Its response said: "CSI seeks to promote and maintain a position of equality
between two historically divided communities at the expense of community
relations and reconciliation.
"The absence of the language of reconciliation is deeply regrettable."
The Church's submission acknowledges that it is important not to overlook the
political and social progress made in Northern Ireland over recent years.
But it claimed the CSI document "appears to reflect party political mandates
following existing divisions and risks perpetuating the failings of the past
at the expense of the future".
It noted the lack of a timeframe for the implementation of some goals and a
lack of clarity as to what are goals and what are aspirations, with key
areas such as housing and education insufficiently addressed.
The Church said the language used in relation to equality rights, tolerance
and prejudice is inconsistent.
The submission also found that the role of the local churches and faith based
communities are largely absent from the document.
The Church proposed that "the need for peace and reconciliation should take
precedence over party politics" and that "collaborative work must and can be
done across political and religious divides".
SIC: BT/UK