RITE AND REASON: A new vision for both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism is desperately needed in Northern Ireland and must be built on mutual trust, writes Robin Eames
Many Northern Ireland Protestants perceive themselves to be the real victims of over 30 years of terrorism. They believe the IRA campaign was directed against them as much as against British involvement in the province. They perceive themselves to be part of the British presence because of their pro-union stance. There is therefore a belief that much of the IRA campaign was sectarian in nature.
Those attitudes run deep and can help to explain much of the current pro-union attitudes to the peace process.
Protestants in Northern Ireland find it difficult to accept that there are different tensions in the Roman Catholic community just as there are divisions within their own. Equally, not all Roman Catholics recognise the diversities of their Protestant neighbours. Protestantism in Northern Ireland is a diverse and fragmented entity both in the religious and political sense. Historically, those divisions become really apparent under pressure.
Today the real struggle within Protestantism has to do with questions of identity. If the current issue is about the Belfast Agreement the real argument has to do with the long-term role of Protestant-unionism in a changing Ireland - what is that role to be?
The speed of change in society following the Belfast Agreement represents for many Protestants as great a problem as the changes themselves. Adjustment to radical change takes time in any society.
The real truth is that the small print of the Belfast Agreement was either not read or not understood in the euphoria of those early days. People wanted peace above all else, but the real test was to come with the price to be paid to make peace a reality. For many in the Protestant-unionist community that price has proved very costly.
It is of prime importance to the future of Northern Ireland that neither the Protestant-unionist community nor the Roman Catholic-nationalist community can perceive themselves to be victims of change. People have to "own change". They have to understand - and be convinced - that change is for the greater good of all.
That message is not always understood by those who have power to instigate change in this community. It would be a tragedy of immense proportions if the removal of alienation and injustice for one community made alienation of another inevitable.
FOR generations, sectarianism has been the single most destructive element in Northern Ireland. While its roots lie deep in history it is alive and well today. Fear is the prime cause of sectarianism within both communities. Fear of each other's influence, motives, aspirations or ability to hurt another community stem from religious as well as political sources.
If fear of another community can be removed we will have done much to undermine the evils of sectarianism.
The sectarian attacks carried out by so-called loyalist paramilitaries on the Roman Catholic community are utterly repugnant to most Protestants and must be condemned without reservation.
There is no greater challenge for the Christian churches in Northern Ireland than the evil of sectarianism. The hypocrisy of preaching a Gospel of love while at the same time regarding a neighbour as less than a person equally made in the image of God is nothing less than blasphemy. Perfect love dispels fear - and that Gospel must be a priority for the Christian Church.
The role of collective memory cannot be underestimated in Northern Ireland. In both communities memory dictates attitudes to the present and hopes for the future. Today hundreds of families live with bitter memories of the past. Somehow those memories must be subjected to a process of healing. Forgiveness cannot be imposed. But understanding of each other's hurt is a major step towards healing.
The real path to a secure and stable future for both communities in Northern Ireland lies in a new confidence and trust in each other. Equally valuable as an end to violence and terror would be the birth of genuine understanding of why we fear each other.
"Vision" may be an outdated word for today. But I am convinced a new vision for Protestantism and Roman Catholicism is desperately needed in Northern Ireland today. That vision must be built on a new level of mutual trust which has learned the lessons of our past.
We all know the sensitivities - and by now we should be able to deal with them. What we all need is the vision of a place in which what matters to each of us is being treated equally, respected equally and owned equally. There is room for diversity in this community. There is room for difference. But there is no room for hatred, suspicion and violence if we are to turn that vision into reality.
Robin Eames is Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh. This article is an edited exract from a talk he delivered at NUI Galway on March 19th.