On 25 and 26 September, the Church Leaders’ Group comprising Moravian Bishop Sarah Groves, President of the Irish Council of Churches; Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of All Ireland; Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of All Ireland; Rt Revd Dr Richard Murray, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; and,Revd Dr John Alderdice, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, accompanied by the Joint Secretaries to the Group, the Rev Dr Heather Morris and the Rev Trevor Gribben, General Secretaries of the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in Ireland participated in an information visit to Brussels.
During the two days, the Church Leaders met with Vice President Antonella Sberna of the European Parliament; Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič; the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU, Ambassador Aingeal O’Donoghue; and the Head of the UK Mission to the EU, Ambassador Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, along with other individuals with significant expertise. The Group also engaged extensively with Aodhan Connolly, Director of the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels, and his team, who greatly assisted in the arrangements for the visit.
The Church Leaders sought to both recognise the positive progress that had been made over the years following on from Brexit, as well as communicating the ongoing concerns and challenges faced by many sectors and communities especially in Northern Ireland. The Church Leaders shared the wide range of perspectives within their communities and noted the strong level of engagement by the people they met with. They welcomed a sincere commitment from these key individuals to building positive relationships between the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, while recognising the challenges and opportunities that remain especially in relation to Northern Ireland.
ENDS
