| International News

Delivering the keynote address of the annual general assembly of the Conference of the European Justice and Peace Commissions Sept. 23 at the Wellington Park Hotel, Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh stressed that churches are a part of the solution, not the problem, in creating the conditions for and proclaiming the message of peace.

Some 60 delegates from throughout the continent attended the annual Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Europe gathering in the first year it has been held in Ireland and focused on the theme “Challenge of Reconciliation: What Europe can learn from Northern Ireland.”

“One of the common mistakes made by people outside of Northern Ireland,” Archbishop Brady said, “is to believe that the conflict here is essentially a conflict of religion, of competing Christian traditions resolutely intolerant of one another and vying for dominance. This is a convenient but inaccurate presentation.”

The situation in Northern Ireland, as with all conflict throughout the world “the result of a complex mixture of history and politics, of culture and identity, of tensions over land and resources, of fear of those who are different and ultimately, of the need for each of us to belong,” he stressed.

That complexity is seen in the city the conference is meeting, the archbishop said. “Belfast is a city of contrasts, of people of humour and generosity, of welcome and warmth. Yet it is a city which bears within its terraced streets and fine public buildings, a legacy of violence and pain which continues to dim its dreams and its possibility of becoming one of the most vibrant and welcoming cities of Europe.”

The conflict in Northern Ireland is not at base one of religious traditions battling one another, he said. “It is,” he added, “a sectarian conflict in the sense of sectarianism understood as hostility or suspicion directed against those who belong to a different religious denomination.”

While noting that he believes that Northern Ireland is “a story of hope,” Archbishop Brady said that its history teaches that “violence is a scourge” that “can never be the basis of peace.”

“Violence may sometimes achieve domination over others or their community but it cannot win that community’s participation or consent,” he said.

Violence, either by the government or paramilitary organizations, leaves “an indelible mark on the memory and emotions of those whom it, he stressed.

“As the experience of Northern Ireland suggests, once the first act of violence is perpetrated, whether in defense or in aggression, the original reason for the use of violence is quickly lost sight of in the deadly cycle of violence, hatred, revenge and misunderstanding which almost inevitably follows,” he said.

To break the cycle of violence requires that genuine social, economic and political inequalities are addressed, and that people are able to “participate in the political process (and) to articulate and organize around their legitimate concerns,” the archbishop said.

“In this regard,” he said, “I welcome all recent initiatives directed at supporting the ability of the loyalist community to develop its social and political capacity. A confident unionism and a confident nationalism are not mutually exclusive possibilities.”

Yet, he said, the failure of some paramilitary organizations to fully accept “the principle of majority consent in the Good Friday Agreement” and to reject the use of violence for political ends remains a source of “deep concern.”

Noting that there has been “slow but immensely significant progress” toward building “a more equitable, balanced and accountable system of law and order here in Northern Ireland,” Archbishop Brady stressed that “no society can achieve a stable peace without an effective system of law and order.”

Pointing to “organized paramilitary crime that still exists” in Northern Ireland, he said that “the tolerance of subversive or criminal activity is incompatible with responsibility for the administration or law and order.”

“Law and order,” he added, “is essential to the common good.”

He characterized the current situation in the country as “a glass that is half empty or half full, depending on your point of view.”

There is “a real peace,” though an unstable one, he said, noting that people are under much less stress because of the improved security. “The ceasefires, the Belfast Agreement and the decommissioning of IRA arms have made a huge difference. People feel a lot more secure, a lot more at ease.”

Yet, he noted that “the evil of bigotry and sectarianism still exists.”

He urged action in the coming months on putting in place a local power-sharing assembly with the all of the constituent elements of the Northern Irish community. “I believe that the majority of people in Northern Ireland want to ...