Archbishop Harper identifies reconciliation as 'the number one priority of the Church's mission’
In his address to the Armagh Diocesan Synod, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd Alan Harper commented on the consultation paper on Cohesion, Sharing and Integration by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, taking place against the backdrop of economic challenges and renewed dissident activity in Northern Ireland. He emphasised his view that reconciliation is 'the number one priority of the Church's mission’.
In a speech which covered areas including work with children and young people, the elderly and vulnerable adults, and primary and post-primary education, Archbishop Harper said, ‘We still need to articulate a coherent vision for the society ... such a vision must not seek solutions to the challenges of a divided society on the basis of equal but separate communities: separate development is not a recipe for a sustainable and harmonious future.’ The Archbishop called the Churches, community and politicians alike to ‘seek solutions which focus on the hard work of reconciliation as the foundation of one united community’.
Archbishop Harper also welcomed the Bishop of Harare, Bishop Chad Gandiya, to the Armagh Diocesan Synod.
Download the full transcript here.