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Bishop Andrew Forster to become President of the Irish Council of Churches
Last October, Dr Patterson stood in line with the Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Methodist Church leaders to welcome the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Republic’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to a cross–community Service of Reflection and Hope in Armagh. That service, marking Northern Ireland’s centenary, was a reminder of how warily one must tread whenever religion meets politics in Ireland.
Bishop Forster’s two year–stint as President will coincide with the ICC’s own centenary. “I don’t expect fireworks,” Bishop Forster said, as he looked ahead to the anniversary. “Our centenary’s unlikely to cause too many ripples in the wider community, but it is a ‘big deal’ for the Churches – an opportunity for reflection, and for modest celebration.
“In the two years since his consecration, Bishop Andrew has built good working relationships and strong friendships with his Roman Catholic counterparts, Dr Donal McKeown in the Diocese of Derry and Bishop Alan McGuckian in Raphoe. Relations between the Churches haven’t always been so cordial, though.
“It’s hard to imagine, nowadays,” Bishop Forster said, “but after the ICC’s first meeting, as the ‘United Council of Christian Churches and Religious Communities’, in 1923, the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches remained effectively at arm’s length for another 50 years. There were historical reasons, of course, but it wasn’t very edifying.”
Things changed dramatically, in 1973, when representatives of the Irish Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church met at Ballymascanlon in Co Louth. It was the first official meeting between the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches in Ireland.
“Looking back,” Bishop Andrew said, “the ICC’s participation in the Ballymascanlon Talks was visionary and, in the context of the early 70s, very necessary. I was only six years old when the talks took place, but The Troubles were in ‘full cry’; the carnage was almost unimaginable; the community was bitterly divided; people were deeply polarised. Remarkably, just when things seemed darkest, the light of the Gospel shone through. The ICC leadership and the Roman Catholic hierarchy came together. They broke new ground – it must’ve felt like very stony ground – but they sowed seeds that led eventually to the Irish Inter–Church Meeting.”
Bishop Forster’s “personal ecumenical journey” began in the mid–90s, when he was appointed Chaplain at Queen’s University Belfast. “My time at Queen’s was a blessing. I was chaplain for seven years. I developed close working relationships – and personal relationships – with chaplains of other denominations. I came alive to the richness of Churches working together. I became friends with students of different faiths and none.”
The 20 years since Bishop Andrew left the Queen’s chaplaincy have seen seismic change in Ireland. The Republic’s economy has soared, although significant inequality remains. North of the border, where the economy has performed less well, Brexit and the Protocol row have resurrected old fears. Abortion has been legalised in the Republic (up to 12 weeks in pregnancy) and been decriminalised in Northern Ireland. Same sex marriage is permitted in both jurisdictions.
Across the island, church attendance has fallen dramatically, and the Churches’ influence has declined sharply, but Bishop Andrew rejected any suggestion that the Churches were becoming irrelevant. “Ministry is challenging, nowadays, but that’s been true in every generation. We live in an increasingly secular society, but we have new opportunities. I’ve been hugely impressed by the way in which clergy and lay people of different denominations have responded to different crises: tackling poverty at home and abroad; ‘stepping up’ in response to the pandemic; addressing issues of identity and legacy; working to make Ireland more welcoming for newcomers. The Churches have provided positive and practical models of cooperation. They’ve made a real difference.”
The spiritual ground may be shifting under his feet, but the ICC’s next President is undaunted. “I’m excited. Co–chairing the Irish Inter–Church Meeting will be a big responsibility, but an enormous privilege, too. I’m looking forward to working with Churches right across the island. Churches working together in an increasingly fractured culture and society can speak to our common humanity. As long as we remain true to the Gospel, we won’t go wrong, and we’ll never be irrelevant.”
Interview by Paul McFadden, first published in the March 2022 edition of the Church of Ireland Gazette.