Yesterday, Palm Sunday, Archbishop Eamon Martin celebrated the annual Mass for the Disappeared in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. During his homily, the Primate encouraged those with even the slightest piece of information to come forward to ease the suffering of the families who had their loved ones taken from them during the troubles.
Archbishop Martin said, “There have been 19 known cases of individuals abducted, murdered and secretly buried during the Troubles, but in likelihood there are others.”
The Archbishop of Armagh continued, “This quiet annual gathering … of families and friends who never previously knew each other, from different cultures, backgrounds and sometimes from opposite sides of our so-called ‘divide’, all united by compassion and by the shared experience of loss, unanswered questions and unresolved pain. And that solidarity has been such that hope has not been allowed to die – unjust trial and evil are not permitted to have the last word.”
Urging those with information to come forward, Archbishop Martin said, “I appeal again to the conscience of anyone who can help with the cases of Lisa Dorrian, Joe Lynskey (who still hasn’t been found after 50 years), Seamus Maguire, Columba McVeigh and Robert Nairac to bring forward even the slightest clues, so that the agonising wait of you, their families and support persons, can be shortened, and those who remain hidden can at last have a Christian burial.”
To read the full homily, click here.
ENDS
