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DUBLIN AND GLENDALOUGH DIOCESAN SYNOD
Presidential Address by the Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough, The Most Reverend Dr Walton N F Empey
First of all I welcome you most warmly to the first session of this year's Synods of Dublin and Glendalough. Once again we are most grateful to the Rector and Select Vestry of this parish for putting these splendid premises at our disposal. We are indeed most fortunate to have such a magnificent place in which to conduct our deliberations.
Last year at these Synods I came very much as the new boy with something less than six months experience under my belt. Now one year later I have a much greater understanding of the nature of our United Dioceses but readily acknowledge that I have still much to learn. I can assure you that I do not wake up every morning worrying about what I might do to-day! Yet the work is extraordinarily interesting and diverse and exercised in widely different circumstances. I suppose that my real concern would be that in all this welter of activity I find little time for reflection. The danger of this is that my ministry can be seen as reactive rather than pro-active. A further reduction of committees might solve some of this problem.
However, the Archbishop does not work in a vacuum and in these dioceses the support system is superb and one could not ask for more. Both of the Archdeacons, Gordon Linney and Edgar Swann, carry out their ministry in very busy parishes and yet give generous time in the service of the Dioceses. They come to the See House to meet with me frequently for several hours and the advice, support, and their cheerful acceptance of many different tasks lightens the episcopal role very considerably. I thank them both most sincerely and I feel that I must do so in a public forum such as this.
We are fortunate too in having such a well-run and efficient Diocesan Office that always seems to be a veritable hive of activity. Our Secretary, Mr. Keith Dungan, ably assisted by Mrs. Mary Linton, provide information quickly, efficiently and courteously. This is my first experience of a full-time Diocesan Office staff and it is a source of great comfort and satisfaction to know that expertise is always available. I would like on your behalf as well as my own, to thank both of them for their sterling service to our United Dioceses.
On a notice board in the See House office is a list of telephone and fax numbers most frequently called. Needless to say our Diocesan Communications Officer's numbers are listed there as they should. However, there is a further note which states "office hours 9-5 Monday to Friday". How misleading that note is for it has no relevance whatsoever to the work done by Mrs. Valerie Jones. There is no mention of week nights or of Saturdays or Sundays and yet we see her again and again attending all sorts of functions with her little camera and note book - always with the good of the Church and the dioceses at the forefront of her mind. Her work, superbly done, goes far beyond the call of duty and we are very, very fortunate indeed to have such a person as our Communications Officer.
For me personally one of the decisions that caused me most joy recently was that of the Representative Body Executive, which decided that the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, should have their secretarial help increased from 20 to 30 hours per week. How delighted I was that Mrs. Helen O'Neill agreed to take this considerable increase in working hours. Quite frankly I do not know what I would do without her calm, steady and humorous application to her work. No words of mine could express adequately my gratitude to Helen for her help and support at all times. I will not say any more or I will incur her wrath! But thank you very much Helen all the same.
Then there are all the people, lay and clerical, who give their time and talents so generously by serving on diocesan committees and in other ways in a totally voluntary basis. Such people, too numerous to name, must not be forgotten for such voluntary service is the very essence of Church life. Participation of this nature at parochial and diocesan level is as enriching as it is essential and must never be taken for granted.
There are those, too, who have served the Church well over many years. Some spring to mind very readily. On Sunday the 7th of September I had the great privilege of celebrating the Eucharist to mark an extraordinary occasion. It was to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Ordination of Reverend Canon Maurice Handy - just imagine 70 years in Holy Orders. He was ordained seven years before I was born and still carries on a very active ministry in daily prayer. Many, throughout Ireland of different denominations will chiefly remember him as Warden of the Ministry of Healing, quite apart from members of parishes in which he served. We offer him our congratulations and best wishes.
A few weeks later I had the further privilege of dedicating a new lecture room in the Theological College called the Jenkins Room. Very fittingly the dedication took place on Archdeacon Raymond Jenkins' 99th birthday and was a very happy occasion indeed. As I noted on the day, he was 36 years old when I was born and even then he was serving the Church with distinction. A renowned scholar and sometime Warden of the Divinity Hostel, as it was then known, he did not live in an ivory tower but was also a parish rector and, of course, Archdeacon of Dublin. He was and is a greatly beloved and respected priest of the Church of Ireland. As with Canon Handy, we offer him our congratulations and best wishes.
On Tuesday, 30th of September, another greatly beloved pastor retired from the parochial ministry, namely the Reverend Canon Sydney Laing. Last May I made a pastoral visit to Crumlin Parish and experienced at first-hand the deep affection in which both he and his wife, Lily, were held by the people. Students of the Theological College will be glad to hear that he is continuing as Secretary to the Grants Committee, a post that demands much pastoral understanding and sensitivity. We wish both Sydney and Lily many happy years in retirement and express our pleasure that they will be moving only as far as Clondalkin.
The Reverend Canon Cecil Bradley retired after many faithful years of service to St. Patrick's Cathedral and we are pleased that he continues to reside in Dublin.
There are others, sadly, who no longer exercise a ministry among us but live on another shore and in a greater light. Canon Allen Wilson served the Church well over many, many years and was a greatly beloved pastor in these Dioceses. The untimely death of the Reverend Jimmy Hammond shocked us all for he too touched the hearts of many in his all too short ministry. The Reverend John B. Fisher also passed away during the year following many years of faithful service. To the families and friends of these faithful clergy we extend our deepest sympathy. We record with regret the passing of Mr. Neville Lloyd-Blood, a faithful member of the Diocesan Councils for many years. We offer our deepest sympathy to his wife, family and friends.
Clerical changes:
There have been changes amongst the clergy also. The Reverend Earl Storey resigned from Crinken to begin work in the area of reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The Reverend Peter Campion was appointed Dean's Vicar of St. Patrick's Cathedral and we also congratulate him on his recent marriage to Rebecca and wish them both every happiness. Canon Ricky Rountree resigned from Dalkey Parish but thankfully remains in the United Dioceses as Rector of Powerscourt with Kilbride. The Reverend Canon David Godfrey resigned from Bray Parish on being appointed to the Deanery of Kilmore. And on the 10th of this month Canon David Muir resigned from Delgany in order to take a break from the parochial ministry.
In turn we extend a hearty welcome to some newcomers. The Reverend Gordon Fyles, who comes to us from England to become Chaplain of St. James' Crinken; the Reverend Bill Bowder also crossed the Irish Sea to become Rector of Donoughmore, Donard and Dunlavin. We also welcome the Reverend Ivan Moore as Curate Assistant to Taney Parish. Soon we will be welcoming the Very Reverend Ben Neill as Rector of Dalkey. We pray that all of them and their families will find happiness and fulfilment in their new spheres of responsibility. The Reverend Gillian Wharton, former curate-assistant of Glenageary was appointed to the very important position of Youth Officer and part-time curate assistant to Lucan
Leixlip Parish. We wish her well in her work and also for her forthcoming marriage next March.
This year five deacons were ordained for our United Dioceses, namely the Reverend Bernadette Daly for Taney Parish. The Reverend Olive Henderson attached to Tallaght Parish as an auxiliary minister; the Reverend Andrew McLellan to Christ Church Cathedral Group of Parishes and the Reverend David Palmer to Glenageary Parish. The Reverend Lynda Peilow was ordained earlier this month for Castleknock Parish. The Reverend Darren McFarland (Greystones) and the Reverend Harry Lew (Whitechurch) were ordained to the priesthood. We congratulate all of them as we pray for God's blessing on their ministry in the years to come.
While on the subject of ordination, I was delighted to see that no less than seven candidates from these Dioceses were presented at a Selection Conference of CACTM this year. Six of these were accepted for training and one was deferred for the time being. This was an extraordinary number for one Diocese but we cannot afford to be sanguine.
On a personal note I report that this year I have stood down as Chairman of the Selection Conference after holding that position for eleven years. It was a tremendous privilege to meet all sorts and conditions of almost every age and background that gave a vivid picture of the vitality of the Church of Ireland. My position has now been taken by the Bishop of Meath and Kildare and I wish him well in this privileged but responsible task.
Faith Alive:
Before moving to a wider canvas, I would like to draw the Synods' attention to what I consider to be a very important meeting for clergy and laity - the Reverend Tom Gordon will speak on the subject "Knowing our parish, its people and its needs - aims, objectives and methods of holding a parish forum". This important meeting will be held in the Theologicial College on Tuesday the 25th of November at 8pm.
The North:
Last year at my first Synod, apart from the traditional opening of the Presidential address, I went on to comment at length on the situation in Northern Ireland and in particular the aftermath of Drumcree. As to be expected this received some considerable coverage in the press both favourable and unfavourable. More importantly, however, I received an invitation from the Rector of Drumcree, the Reverend John Pickering, and his Select Vestry to meet with them. I was treated very courteously and while we did not agree on a number of points we certainly listened to one another and cleared up some of the misunderstandings. I was glad that I brought the text of what I had said to you at Synod as they were relying heavily on excerpts from press reports in which statements were taken out of context. This experience confirmed for me the value of meeting people from the North both as individuals and as parishes, such meetings are of immense value and are to be encouraged. There is much misunderstanding between our own Church people quite apart from people of other communities.
On a much larger scale I am sure that everyone of good will rejoices in the fact that most of the significant parties in Northern Ireland are now engaged in the Peace Negotiations. All but the very naive will know that this will be a long and very difficult process. While all credit must go to Mo Mowlam for her energy and skill in bringing these talks about, many of us would be very sceptical of her prophecy that agreement will be reached by Christmas or even next May.
The wounds created by years of sectarianism, hatred and violence, will take a long time to heal as we know from our own history in the Republic. Nevertheless a start has been made, every encouragement must be given to the courageous decision of David Trimble and the Unionist Party to continue to participate despite the harsh criticism of the D.U.P. And others. We must continue to pray that eventually the parties will realise that the tactics of the past have failed and that the only way forward is face to face discussion.
President Robinson:
In our own part of the island the vast majority of our people were saddened by the departure of our beloved former President, Mary Robinson. In her own person she encapsulated modern Ireland and gave us considerable pride in ourselves. She graced the Presidency for almost seven years and gave of herself unstintingly to the task. She embraced those on the fringes of society and gave great encouragement to those who work on their behalf. At the other end of the spectrum we were filled with pride by the way in which she represented us outside the shores of our island. Of course, we have the begrudgers, some of whom maintain that she used the Presidency to obtain her present position. To them I would say that her deep interest in human rights extended much further back than her years as President. While we are sad to see her go we are also proud that she has been appointed to such a prominent position in the United Nations. We wish her well and thank her for the wonderful years of her Presidency.
The South:
While our national self-image was considerably raised during that presidency and while our economic vitality has received a boost from the so called Celtic Tiger unfortunately all is not well in our State. The McCracken Tribunal confirmed what many people suspected that there were very shady areas in high places. We have a right to expect the very highest standards from those we elect to govern and legislate in our name. They are responsible not merely to a political party but to the people of Ireland who put them in such responsible positions. Ordinary citizens found guilty of far less serious misdoings will frequently find themselves in prison. As a prison chaplain some years ago I visited a woman sentenced to three months for stealing L20 from a supermarket and this was no exception, I also visited a man sentenced for the same length of time for salmon poaching. The powerful and those in responsible and influential positions must not be allowed to consider themselves to be above the Law, otherwise the Law itself is brought into disrepute.
However, it is important to look at ourselves and reflect on the society in which we live. It should be remembered that one of those castigated by the McCracken Tribunal was immediately re-elected to Dail Eireann. High standards, in other words were secondary to other political considerations. Furthermore it appears that not all of the money in off-shore accounts, was put there by politicians but by wealthy people avoiding their responsibility to this state and that is putting it very mildly.
I mention these instances to show how some elements of the public have accepted low moral standards and we can hardly be surprised if this is reflected all the way through our society. Increasing cynicism about politics and politicians in our State fuelled by the misconduct of a few, should not surprise us but cynicism is a dangerous cancer in a democracy. It is wrong and unjust to brand all politicians in the same manner for the failure of a few. I know many politicians personally, gifted people who could find far greater financial rewards in other careers but have instead chosen to serve as public representatives. They are people of great integrity - such a one was my very good friend the late Jim Kemmy whom I visited in hospital just before he died. He was such a politician but he was by no means alone in that respect, there are many like him in the Dail, the Senate and indeed in Local Government.. Such men and women work long hours in a tough profession with little certainty about their future. It is a high calling and needs people of high calibre to meet its demand. As I have said so often before, I regret that more Church of Ireland people do not enter the political arena at all levels.
European Union:
And so we move to a larger canvas. The European Union has had a profound effect on our society and its influence on our lives continues to grow. My predecessor, Dr. Donald Caird, with the strong support and encouragement of Dr. Kenneth Milne, saw the need for the Church of Ireland to have a Working Group to monitor, report upon and debate issues arising from our participation in the E. U. It is a daunting task but nevertheless a very important one. Dr. Milne is the hard-working secretary of this group and what follows are his reflections:
"As the countries of Europe, western, central and eastern, draw closer together, the impact made by the institutions of the Union are likely to impinge even more on our lives. Already, we can detect a sense of helplessness, even fatalism, on the part of the citizens of the member states, as they contemplate what lies ahead. This is understandable, given the remoteness of much of the decision making process.
"But there is no need for an air of fatalism. The EU itself, especially since Maastricht, is more than anxious to relate more closely with the citizens, and there are local offices more than willing to supply information and answer questions.
"The snag is the volume of information, the complexity of the issues, and, let it be said, the somewhat forbidding format of much that is produced. (Though increasingly there are citizens' guides to what is happening!).
"That is why the General Synod, in 1996, decided that the Church of Ireland should have some agency, on which every dioceses would be represented, that would not only monitor what is happening in the Union, and pass what is relevant on to the parishes through the diocesan magazines, but would, where appropriate, contribute to debate; wherever possible, doing this ecumenically.
"There is an enormous range of issues to be studied, and so the Working-group on Europe has to be selective. At present, we are particularly interested in proposed agricultural, or should I say rural, policies, and are deeply concerned with their implications for a great many of the people in our parishes."
Landmines:
But, of course, Europe is but one part of a much larger world. In August I had the privilege of visiting Mozambique where my eldest son, Patrick, works with the Department of Foreign Affairs in development work. A country, which is recovering slowly and painfully following a very destructive civil war, where there is abject poverty everywhere; the like of which we do not see even in the worst cases here in Ireland. For example, in the Northern Province of Niassa the most valuable possession that a person can have is a ten litre plastic container that can be used for carrying many things, including water, milk and maize. It would take a very great amount of money to persuade the owner to part with such a container. Yet how often in our 'throw away society' do we see such items on our rubbish dumps. It is a measure of the huge gap that exists between the haves and the have nots in our world.
On top of the dreadful poverty and a severely damaged infrastructure hangs the terrible shadow of landmines. Planted indiscriminately by the warring troops, the chief method of discovering their location is from local people, who either heard or saw them being planted and that is only very general and inaccurate information. No maps recording positions, as in conventional warfare, are to be had when hostilities cease. I do not need to remind you that some of our peace-keeping troops have been killed or injured in the Lebanon by these hideous instruments of war. While in Mozambique I was shown one such landmine that to me symbolised the depths of depravity to which human minds can sink. It was in the shape of a butterfly, which one could hold it in the palm of one's hand. And do you know why it was in the shape of a butterfly - it was because children would be attracted to it and pick it up. Yes, imagine the depravity of the mind that could conjure up such a weapon. It defies one's imagination.
Yet there is some hope. On Friday 10th October the Nobel Peace Prize was won by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and its American Co-ordinator, Ms Jody Williams. This award brings home to us the importance being given to the banning of these awful instruments of war. The efforts of this campaign will come to fruition in December when an International Treaty banning landmines will be signed in Ottawa. Unfortunately two of the three largest manufacturers of landmines in the world, China and the United States of America, are among those refusing to sign, the third one, Russia, has now said it intends to sign the ban in December. "There are about 110 million anti-personnel mines scattered in 64 countries around the world" writes correspondent Robert Kock of Oslo "there is one casualty every 22 minutes, most of them women and children. It would take 33 billion dollars and 11 centuries at the current pace, to clear all these mines". That gives us some idea of the terrible problem that will continue to exist after the signing in Ottawa but at least a hopeful start has been made. We all support the strong statement of the Minister for Defence, Mr. Michael Smith, on this question and I know that we would all urge the Government to continue to try to persuade those countries that do not intend to sign to change their minds.
Refugees:
In one of our daily newspapers last week there was a photograph that shocked many people. It showed a queue of some 2000 asylum seekers standing in a downpour of rain outside the Department of Justice in St. Stephen's Green, where they waited for many hours. This pictorial evidence of the chaotic nature of the manner in which we are treating refugees upset many people. This is a very complex issue and I cannot deal with it fully within the scope of this address but I do wish to express my concern of what is happening in our country.
The present system of international protection for refugees came into being following the Second World War when the international community agreed to open its borders to those seeking asylum from persecution in their own countries. This principle was enshrined in the 1957 Geneva Convention and a Protocol added to this Convention in 1967 further increased its scope. Ireland signed and ratified both the Convention and the Protocol. In 1996 a new act was made Law in Ireland called the Refugee Act 1996 but this Act needed an order or orders from the Minister for Justice to implement it. Unfortunately only a few sections of the Act have been implemented so far and this is causing more confusion. I understand that part of the reason for the non-implementation of some of these sections is that the appointment of a Refugee Commissioner has run into some legal difficulties, which we hope will be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
I should point out that there are two categories of people who have come and are coming to our shores. There are Programme Refugees who have been invited here, such as Hungarians, Vietnamese, Bosnians etc., and there are Asylum Seekers who come to our shores in different ways. The number of asylum seekers to Ireland has increased enormously since the early 1990s. Many of those come from the former Yugoslavia, Zaire, Rwanda, Iraq and such like. These countries are well known to the international community as places where persecution, often ancillary to genocide, and discrimination against ethnic minorities, are rampant. Many have had to leave their countries for fear of death or imprisonment at the hands of harsh regimes. They cannot express themselves in English and have no idea of their rights in a foreign country. Because of their experience they distrust those in authority. For the asylum seeker to be admitted to Ireland he or she must try to explain in a foreign language the situation in his or her own country, who he or she is and what he or she did and why it was necessary to flee. For many it is a strange and harrowing experience added to which is the terrible uncertainty about the future.
Until the end of September last legal assistance to the refugee was provided by the Legal Project of the Irish Refugee Council, which is a non-governmental umbrella organisation for various groups. The Department of Justice ceased funding in September 1997 for various reasons, so there is little or no legal aid to refugees except for some lawyers who are acting free of charge.
This is a dreadful situation and should be put on a firm basis immediately rather than promises that something will be done in the future. Asylum seekers in Ireland face a long period of examination of their claims. Much of this is due to under staffing and under funding in the Department of Justice, lack of State resources to examine claims properly and a lack of any integrated system for dealing with asylum seekers. We plead with the Government in the name of humanity to redress these issues.
Finally we need to keep in perspective some of the great exaggerations contained in some media reports. An Amnesty International Report estimates that the number of refugees who have to flee their own countries varies from 15 million to 25 million. Of these 90% remain in the underdeveloped countries of the South and less than 10% make their way to the developed countries of the North. A tiny fraction of 1% find their way to Ireland. As a nation our forebears endured the experience of having to seek a new life elsewhere because of economic deprivation or persecution. I have ministered to some of their descendants in Canada and the United States. Surely then we ought to do our very best to be as receptive as possible to those who come to our shores for similar reasons. They deserve all the help we can give them. The State can provide material necessities - a home, welfare benefits etc. The State cannot provide what a good neighbour can do. I gather that contact has been made with rectors in whose parishes Bosnian families have settled and we know that friendships have been made. Some of the children are in our schools, some are now members of parish organisations.
The writer of the Book of Leviticus puts it very clearly "When an alien settles with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. He shall be treated as a native born among you and you shall love him as a man like yourself . . . I am the Lord your God". That is a direct challenge to us all.
Crime and Social Deprivation:
There are just two final matters to which I would like to draw your attention. The first of these is highlighted in this year's report of the Diocesan Committee for Social Action, namely care of the elderly. For all the cheer that the strength of the Celtic Tiger brings us there is also a downside. We are told that the exchequer will have L500million to spend and there is powerful lobbying that this windfall should be used for income tax relief. There is not one person present here who would not like to see his or her income tax reduced but should that be a first priority? I do not think so. In a hard hitting speech at the 20th Annual Conference of the Simon Community, John Lonergan, Governor of Mountjoy, stated that eight percent of prisoners were homeless; 56 percent were at any time from the same six postal districts and ninety percent were unemployed. He said much the same in that valuable series of lunch hour addresses arranged by the Reverend Patrick Semple, currently being held on Thursday, in St. George and St. Thomas' Church, Cathal Brugha Street. I would like to see much of the L500million used to tackle the actual social environment from which crime springs - few of these people have large amounts of money in off-shore bank accounts.
Care for the Elderly:
The most vulnerable people in our crime-ridden society are the elderly. They live in fear - afraid to go out and confine themselves indoors both day and night. They need security in their old age; they need secure places to live in an atmosphere of care and love. At some stage many will need residential care. I am delighted to note that the Committee for Social Action intends to highlight this issue in an open meeting, on 11th November next at 8 p.m. in the Church of Ireland College of Education.
The Millennium:
Finally I would like to highlight a matter that came up for discussion at the last meeting of the Diocesan Councils. We appointed some members to meet with the representative of Faith Alive to discuss the possibility of a Diocesan Liturgical celebration to mark the millenium. Some felt that this was insufficient and that there should be a visible legacy to mark that occasion and I agree. However, I cannot see why a celebration could not go hand in hand with a more tangible project - none whatever. It is suggested that in 1998 preparations will begin at parish level, then at rural deanery level and finally at some point in the year 2000, possibly near Easter, there will be a great Diocesan Celebration in a venue where a large number of people could be accommodated. Furthermore, following this experience we would come down from the mount, as it were, to deanery and finally to parish level once again.
At this Synod I have been reflecting on some of the problems at home and abroad and it is right that we should do so. However, think of what we have to celebrate also. Two thousand years since Christ walked this earth in the flesh with a small band of disciples. Two thousand years later his followers are to be found in every land, millions and millions of them. We have much to celebrate and should come together, pouring out our hearts in praise and thanksgiving for Creation, Incarnation, Redemption and Resurrection. Not forgetting where we have sinned and failed but above all coming before Him as a Diocesan family with our out-pouring of joy and gratitude to Him who "for the joy that was in Him endured the cross, despising the shame". Surely, surely celebration must always be part of our Christian witness - I leave that thought with you.
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