ARCHBISHOP Sean Brady attended the installation of the new Presbyterian Moderator, Rev Dr Ken Newell last night – the first attendance of a Catholic leader at the ceremony. Rev Newell said: “Can we not as churches create a shared space, a forum, where we start dealing with that hurt [of NI’s past] and foster healing?” Free Presbyterian Church leader Rev Dr Ian Paisley, MP, MEP (Ret’d) was outside the doors making his usual response to this sentiment – a placard protest against Romanism and Popery.
Rev Paisley said: “Newell is not bringing peace to the church, he’s bringing trouble because he’s lining up with doctrines that are contrary to the Westminster Confession of Faith which, by the way, he swore he believed in in order to be ordained.”
“You can’t wash your hands of this. This is a vital issue. What way is the church going? Down the Roman road or is it going to return to the Reformation road?”
ADDS: The Tele strongly backed Newell’s invitation to Brady, and Malachi O’Doherty found the perspective of the protesters somewhat inward-looking, at a time when Belfast seems to be going in a different direction.
He writes: “Anyway, why should they care what Catholics believe? The implied message is that no friendship is possible between those of different religions.
“That doesn’t exclude just Catholics, it excludes Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, everyone.
“How long do they think they can defend such exclusiveness in a diversifying Ireland?
“They are talking about selling Assembly Buildings.
“Look ahead ten years and, who knows, but Assembly Buildings might be a mosque and we might all be living in a better, more interesting, Belfast in which these ridiculous old arguments have simply expired.”
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