‘I hope we have learned lessons’ says DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson following NI centenary church service
Posted by Jim on October 21, 2021
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaking after a service to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said he hopes lessons can be learned from a church service marking the centenary of Northern Ireland.
Sir Jeffrey was speaking following the service at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh, which was organised by the four main churches to mark the formation of Northern Ireland and the partition of Ireland in 1921.
The congregation was told by the Reverend Dr Sahr Yambasu, president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, that it was an “opportunity to imagine what could be, and to choose the way forward that can be mutually beneficial”.
Rev Yambasu also said that building an equal and just future on this island is a “moral imperative” we must fulfil.
The service was attended by various dignitaries and political leaders, including Sir Jeffrey, First Minister Paul Givan, PM Boris Johnson, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, UUP leader Doug Beattie, Alliance leader Naomi Long and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.ADVERTISING
Irish President Michael D Higgins turned down an invitation to the service, after raising concerns it was being politicised, while the Queen had to cancel on doctor’s advice.
Following the service, Sir Jeffrey said he hoped the Irish President watched the service “to see what it was truly about”.
“It’s not about politics, it’s not about one side gloating or in any way seeking to be overbearing on the other, but actually all of us coming together to reflect on the journey that we have been on, difficult, painful that it has been at times but also a journey in which I hope we have learned a lot of things,” he said.
“I hope we have learned lessons from today, that we will reflect upon in the future and when we’re given the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder to reflect, to speak of hope, that in the future we will do it together.”
Mr Eastwood also urged those who did not attend a church service to “look at what happened”.
“If we want to create a shared island, we have to be prepared to share rooms with people who disagree with us,” he said.
“I don’t criticise anyone for not coming but I think they should look very carefully at what happened today, it was a reflection, it was a marking of an historical event. It was a hopeful service looking to the future.”
Beginning the service, the Very Rev Shane Forster, the Dean of Armagh, commented on the Queen’s non-attendance, paying tribute to her reconciliation work.
“As we lament our failures, sorrows and pain, and recognise our wounded yet living history, may we with a united voice commit ourselves to work together for the common good, in mutual respect and with shared hope for a light-filled, prosperous and peaceful future,” he added.
Scripture readings were given by Armagh school pupils, while a group of children sang ‘We are the Future of Tomorrow’, composed by Patsy Ford Simms. Three secondary school pupils also gave readings on their hopes for the future.
Lucy Addis told those in attendance: “My generation has only ever known peace and we should all inspire to learn more about our cultures. I hope we can focus on moving forward.”
Delivering the sermon, Rev Yambasu began by speaking about St Patrick, highlighting that, although he was a slave here, yet “he returned to spend the rest of his life enabling the Irish to find an alternative way of living in solidarity one with the other”.
“Patrick had every reason to hate the Irish and seek for vengeance. But he didn’t. Instead, he forgave and was forgiven,” he said.
Rev Yambasu said today is a marking point in the history of this island and society has come a long way, making efforts to build a better community.
“Born and raised in Sierra Leone – on the continent of Africa – I speak as one whose people were bought, sold, and used for profit; whose continent was partitioned without any reference to or consultation with its inhabitants and owners; and whose colour is seen as sufficient excuse to ignore their equal humanity with others,” he said.
“Consequently, I have spent the last 26 years on this island negotiating my acceptance as of equal value with Irish people.”
In finishing, he spoke of a story Greg Myre told about Nelson Mandela.
“He says that six times Mandela was offered conditional release from prison by the then apartheid government. Six times he refused. And one of the six times, he said this to his detainers, ‘I cherish my own freedom dearly, but I care even more for your freedom’,” he said.
“Embracing different others is not about promoting oneself. It is about creating space for each other to flourish. It is not about assimilating them into ourselves.
“It is about recognising that there is something of us in the ones we embrace. It is not about ignoring justice. It is about creating space within ourselves for the perceived wrongdoer in hope of reconciliation.
“That is what grace is. It is choosing relationship over being right.”
There were also words from four of the island of Ireland’s church leaders. The Most Rev Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, said he looks back on what happened in 1921 with a “deep sense of loss and also sadness”.
“Because for the past 100 years partition has polarised people on this island. It has institutionalised difference, and it remains a symbol of cultural, political and religious division between our communities,” he said.
“Today I reflect as a church leader on the last 100 years. I have to face the difficult truth that perhaps we in the churches could have done more to deepen our understanding of each other and to bring healing and peace to our divided and wounded communities.”
He added he stands with others hopeful and committed to building a better future.
The Right Reverend Dr David Bruce, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, said: “For now, I grieve the times when fear has held us back from building relationships with those with whom we differ. If we are to build a better future then we must recognise our own woundedness and our responsibility to care for the wounds of one another.”
Very Reverend Dr Ivan Patterson, president of the Irish Council of Churches, reflected on his involvement in inter-church youth work, adding: “We have heard their voices clearly and powerfully today, we need to learn from their example. They are a generation who want to build peace, a generation who respect and care for this planet in solidarity with the poorest and most vulnerable here and around the world.”
Finally, the Most Reverend John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, spoke of growing up in the late 50s and 60s in east Belfast.
“We obsessed about some things: especially borders. One way or another, we’re obsessing about them again, and being distracted from really thinking about what a good society would look like,” he said.