Archbishop Clarke speaks on Religion and Society
The Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, participated in the Merriman Summer School in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare on Thursday 15 August.
He gave a paper at a panel discussion entitled ‘An Anglican and Catholic view of religion and society in the two Irelands’ alongside Dr Geraldine Smith, Head of the Irish School of Ecumenics, TCD. The overall theme of the Summer School this year is ‘Ireland North and South: two societies growing apart?’
In his paper, Archbishop Clarke said, ‘If the different Christian traditions in Ireland wish to be of help rather than hindrance to a future common good throughout the island, we must openly recognise the cultural differences that have grown up not only between our different traditions but within our own traditions.’
With reference to Northern Ireland, Archbishop Clarke said, the Church ‘…must be ready always – even at a cost and with the possibility (even the likelihood) of being open to manipulation and misrepresentation – to make itself available as peace–makers or peace–brokers, and these are not the same thing.’
In conclusion, the Archbishop said: ‘A formula that has proved to have particular value in examining the life of local parishes and dioceses might be of value in finding some consensus about the present. This process is to seek honest and sometimes painful answers to three searching questions: “What were we once that we are no longer?”, “What truly are we now?”, and “What might and should we become, that we are not yet?” If we could ever answer those three questions, as different Christian traditions, as local communities, and as political leaders, in a way that met genuine agreement across the board in Northern Ireland, there would be the possibilities of hope and a constructive future.’
(Archbishop pictured above at the Summer School – photo: Merriman Summer School/Brian O’Neill)
The full transcript of Archbishop Clarke’s paper is downloadable here.