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Presbyterian Moderator Dr. Trevor Morrow has issued the following statement concerning the present civil unrest.
The position of the Presbyterian Church is clear and has been stated on numerous occasions in the past. It remains unchanged. In the light of the growing civil disorder I take this opportunity to place the church's position in the public domain once again.
I would remind people of the resolution of the 1999General Assembly. "That in the matter of contentious disputes between residents' groups and those who wish to parade, the General Assembly call upon all concerned to treat one another with generosity, understanding and respect and further encourage them to discuss their disagreements with one another; to co-operate fully with the Parades Commission and in the event of no agreement being reached, to abide by the lawfully taken determinations of the Parades Commission".
I am deeply concerned that the dispute between the Portadown District of the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition remains unresolved. It has the potential to threaten the stability of our society as a whole. It is my hope that all those involved in the dispute will fully co-operate with the Parades Commission and with Brian Curran's conflict resolution initiative. In the meantime it is necessary that the Parades Commission's determinations be obeyed.
I deplore the fact that people have been called on to the streets. This type of street politics gets quickly out of hand, is uncontrollable, is wide open for exploitation by people connected with paramilitary groups and results in the intimidation of innocent people, the escalation of attacks on the security forces, massive inconvenience and the erosion of the rights of citizens to go about their lawful business. It is a known fact that many such protests get quickly out of control and thus those who call for and organise protests cannot escape responsibility for the consequences of their actions. As the Orange Order is patently unable to control these protests, their leadership should ask that they be called off.
The apostle Paul wrote the following to Titus (3.1-2) "Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them and be ready to do good in every way. Tell them not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to show a gentle attitude towards everyone"
It is time for all christian people to seek peace and to pursue it and to pray that God will be merciful to us and deliver us from evil of every kind.
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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