Political instability in North erasing hope, say church leaders

Political instability is erasing hope from people’s lives, the leaders of Ireland’s four main Christian churches warned on Monday as all-party talks chaired by the British and Irish governments began at Stormont.

The leaders of the Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist churches urged politicians to be aware of "their shared responsibility for the common good".

They expressed their concern at the “rising number of people struggling to cope on low incomes and the anxiety that the current political instability brings to the most vulnerable members of society”.

“As Northern Ireland’s elected representatives continue to negotiate the future of our political institutions, an awareness of their shared responsibility for the common good needs to be at the heart of the discussion,” they said in a joint statement.

Opportunity

“Our politicians have a critical opportunity to restore hope to those who are struggling and all those who feel disillusioned with the political institutions,” said Catholic primate Archbishop

Eamon Martin

, Church of

Ireland

primate Archbishop

Richard Clarke

, Presbyterian moderator Right Rev Dr Ian McNie, Methodist president Rev

Brian Anderson

, and Rev Dr

Donald Watts

, president of the Irish Council of Churches.

“The generosity and solidarity demonstrated by local communities in response to the refugee crisis reflects the kind of society we want to live in. Increasing levels of poverty are taking us further from that vision, threatening social cohesion,” they added.