Standing Committee’s response to NI Political document published

The official Church of Ireland response to the North’s First and Deputy First Ministers’ consultation paper on social cohesion issues states that, ‘The absence of the language of reconciliation is deeply regrettable … collaborative work must and can be done’. It also submits that the role of the local Churches and faith based communities are largely absent from the document and that the need for peace and reconciliation should take precedence over party politics.

The Standing Committee’s CSI Working Group’s submission to the consultation on Cohesion, Sharing and Integration (CSI) available online at 

www.ireland.an glican.org/officialsubmissions.

The submission states that CSI ‘lacks an underlying ethic or ethos and a genuine vision of what our shared future might look like’. It continues by saying that CSI ‘fails to articulate a vision of, programme for, or pathway to a genuine reconciled future’ and concludes by stating that it ‘does not represent an adequate attempt to build towards a reconciled and shared future for the people of Northern Ireland.’

It acknowledges that it is important not to overlook the many progressive steps that have been taken across political and social arenas in Northern Ireland; however, the CSI document appears to reflect party political mandates which follow existing divisions and risks perpetuating the failings of the past at the expense of the future. There is a lack of timeframe for the implementation of some goals and a lack of clarity as to what are goals and what are aspirations, with key areas such as housing and education insufficiently addressed. The language used in relation to equality rights, tolerance and prejudice is inconsistent and the absence of the language of reconciliation ‘deeply regrettable’.

The submission finds that the role of the local Churches and faith based communities are largely absent from the document, whereas the Churches ‘will be vital in working towards a future that seeks the dignity and respect of every individual in Northern Ireland’. The response proposes that ‘the need for peace and reconciliation should take precedence over party politics’ and that ‘collaborative work must and can be done across political and religious divides’.