On 6 November, The Church Leaders Group (Ireland) met with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn, MP, in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, at what was the Group’s first meeting with Mr Benn since he was appointed in July.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the Church Leaders said, “During what was a very useful engagement, we discussed with the Secretary of State the evolving relationship with the European Union since Brexit and the challenges, which still exist for Northern Ireland. In that context we referred to our recent visit to Brussels and the positive engagement that we had with key leaders from both the European Parliament and the European Commission.”
The Church leaders continued, “We also raised the issue of legacy with the Secretary of State, highlighting to him the stress and anxiety that has been caused to victims and survivors because of policy of the last UK government. We also emphasised that his government needed to provide greater clarity as to its approach to legacy, ensuring that there was no unnecessary policy drift, nor any impression given that there was a de facto hierarchy of victims.
“Finally, we also discussed the importance of the ongoing stability of the devolved settlement. This included not just the political stability of the devolved institutions themselves, but also their financial stability through long-term and needs-based financial funding from the UK Exchequer. Only when such financial arrangements are in place on a multi-year basis, will the Executive be able to deal with the significant systemic problems in public services, which includes health, welfare, education and infrastructure. While we recognised that the recent UK Budget had some positives, it was important for us to highlight that some measures would have a disproportionate effect in Northern Ireland.”
At the end of the meeting, Rev Dr John Alderdice prayed for the Secretary of State, seeking God’s guidance for him and blessing of him, both in his important work on behalf of the UK Government in Northern Ireland and in his advocacy for Northern Ireland within it.
The Church Leaders Group (Ireland) is made up of the leaders of the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches in Ireland, along with the President of the Irish Council of Churches.
Present at the meeting with the Secretary of State were Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland; Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland; Rev Dr John Alderdice, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland; Rev Dr Heather Morris, General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Ireland; and the Rev Trevor Gribben, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland who was also representing, the Presbyterian Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Richard Murray, who was unable to be present due to a long-standing prior commitment. Bishop Sarah Groves, President of the Irish Council of Churches, was also unable to attend.
