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Believing that God has made peace with us at enormous cost in Jesus Christ and that all the people of this island matter to him, the Church and Government Committee offers the following statement at this critical time.
Two possibilities lie before us:
- the prize of a settled but diverse community steadily consolidating the political accommodation of the Belfast Agreement.
- the nightmare of a step by step slide back into anarchy through the unwillingness of people to exercise the politics of generosity.
In the current dangerous situation, where so much gain might be lost, it is imperative:
- that leaders encourage all those whom they influence to pursue the goal of a diverse community at peace with itself. We should not use language which deepens division and which may incite people to violence.
- that loyalist and republican paramilitary groups reassure fearful people and instil confidence by decommissioning their weapons. This is a fundamental moral and political imperative in its own right, especially at the present time, and should not be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations about other issues.
- that necessary pragmatism in the service of consolidating political accommodation be honoured
While there is still time, even in our own selfish interests, as well as the interests of others, political responsibility for the local governance of Northern Ireland by locally elected politicians should be consolidated and we should relentlessly pursue the prize of a settled but diverse community.
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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