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29 July 2005

'Big responsibility' for Irish churches as IRA says no more war

Ray McMenamin
Dublin (ENI). The two church representatives invited to verify a process of putting Irish Republican Army weapons beyond use in co-operation with an official body to oversee the disarming process bear a great responsibility along with governments and church bodies, say denominational leaders.

The 28 July announcement by the IRA orders a complete end to a 30-year "armed struggle" that was viewed as terrorism by its opponents and victims. It has been greeted with relief, joy and scepticism by different people in Northern Ireland.

The IRA, the military wing of the (largely Roman Catholic) republican movement which has sought an end to British rule in Northern Ireland, said that all of its units had been ordered to dump arms and that all volunteers "have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means".

The IRA will also engage with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning to "complete the process to verifiably put its arms beyond use in a way which will further enhance public confidence" and it has invited two church representatives, one Protestant and one Roman Catholic, to witness the process.

The IRA said its governing Army Council had taken these decisions "following an unprecedented internal discussion and consultation process with IRA units and volunteers".

Reacting to the statement, the (Anglican) Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, Dr Robin Eames, said it "could herald the beginning of a period of transition from violence to peaceful and democratic co-existence - but only if words lead to clear and unambiguous action".

He noted that the republican movement must understand that the predominately Protestant community in Northern Ireland that favours remaining part of the United Kingdom "yearns for reassurance that words will be backed up by deeds". Eames also said, however, that those who favour being in the union "must recognise that, given the history of Irish republicanism, the IRA statement is a significant development".

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Seán Brady, described the IRA statement as "very clear and significant". He said he hoped the IRA would deliver "not only on its declared commitment to end its armed campaign but also accompany this historic declaration with the kind of actions that will build trust, inspire confidence and encourage a positive response from others".

The Rev. Lesley Carroll, convenor of the church and society committee of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, also welcomed the statement as a "significant move ... in the process of building peace with one another".

Speaking from abroad, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough, Dr John Neill, said: "The responsibility now falls on the two governments, society north and south and to no small extent on the churches together to build a real peace founded on mutual understanding."

The leader of the powerful Democratic Unionist Party, Ian Paisley, who heads the Free Presbyterian Church, said, however, "The IRA are always interested in these great PR and choreographed statements, but their words count for very little as far as people are concerned."

© 1994 - 2006 Ecumenical News International.

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