Primate asked to let bishops cancel services

A Church of Ireland group has asked that bishops be given the authority to postpone, cancel, or change the venue of a service where there is a likelihood of civil disturbances during parades. In an open letter to the Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, an ad-hoc group of clergy and laity has also called for the relevant bishop to prepare a full report on his decision and, where a service goes ahead and civil disturbances take place, detail what he did in advance of the parade to assess its likely outcome.

The group includes the former Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Dean Victor Griffin, and Canon Charles Kenny in the North. Other signatories include the Rev Brian Stewart, the Rev William Odling-Smee, Mr Duncan Scarlet, Mr Brian Fitzpatrick, and retired professors Mr Norman Gibson and Ms Faith Gibson.

The letter begins: "Like many members of the Church of Ireland, we were deeply disturbed by the events surrounding the parade of the Portadown lodges to the service of morning prayer at Drumcree parish church.

"We respectfully ask your grace to arrange for an immediate meeting of the standing committee of the Church of Ireland to address as a matter of urgency the following issues which we believe arise for the church because of the events at Drumcree.

Where there is convincing evidence that a parade of the Loyal Orders to or from a church service will give rise to civil disturbance, with a likelihood of injury or death of persons and damage to property, the bishop of the diocese should have authority after consultation with the rector and select vestry to ask officers and members not to attend.

If the officers and members decline to accede to the request from the bishop he should have authority to change the venue of the service, postpone or cancel it as seems appropriate.

Where the bishop takes such action he should make a full report to the next meeting of the standing committee which should comment as necessary on the action taken and in turn report to the next meeting of the General Synod.

Where a parade of the Loyal Orders to a church service does take place and civil disturbance occurs, the bishop should report to the next meeting of the standing committee what measures he had taken in advance of the service to assess the likelihood of such an outcome."

The letter continues that the group appreciates that some of these matters have already been given preliminary consideration by the church's sub-committee on sectarianism, "but we believe the issues are of such importance that they must not be left until the next meeting of the synod in 1999".

Further, they point out they were so convinced that Loyal Order church parades would be a source of civil disturbance this year that in a submission to the sectarianism sub-committee last January they suggested the 1998 synod (held in Dublin in May), should adopt and make public a policy on coping with such parades. They also outlined points (similar to those above), as to how this could be done.

In April, when it became clear such action by the synod seemed unlikely, the group wrote to the standing committee of the synod suggesting "decisive action by the church is required as a matter of urgency if it is to prevent some of our churches becoming yet again the focus of inter-community strife, civil unrest and a source of immense scandal". No action was taken by the synod.