The manner in which people deal with their past will be the "most testing issue" people North and South will have to face up to in coming years, according to the outgoing Presbyterian Moderator, Dr Trevor Morrow.
In his opinion, people faced three options. "The first is a form of amnesia brought about by drawing a line in the sand on the basis that time will allow us to forget injustice . . .
"The second presupposes a need to know the truth and with it a demand for justice. However, the naked pursuit of justice, especially if it is seen to be only for a few, will simply polarise us even more."
The third option was one of not only seeking truth but also offering an account of one's own involvement and responsibilities. While this might be a "painful, even traumatic" process, it was the only context in which forgiveness and reconciliation could truly be achieved, Dr Morrow concluded.
The outgoing moderator said he had been alarmed by how poorly victims of the Troubles were treated by government bureaucracy and described the lack of adequate compensation for them as "simply outrageous".
As to contentious parades, the Parades Commission's decisions should be obeyed by both sides while the new police service should be supported by all despite possible reservations, he added.
Describing decommissioning as a "moral imperative", Dr Morrow continued: "Our political realism recognises that decommissioning will be a difficult process but it needs to begin."