January 18, 2006
by Martin Revis
Ecumenical News International

LONDON – Efforts to overcome religious divisions in Ireland have inspired this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, in which denominations throughout the world pledge to work for church unity.

The worldwide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began on Jan. 18.

The 2006 theme for the annual observation – "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them," a quotation from Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew – was chosen by an ecumenical group in the Irish republic's capital of Dublin and highlights the importance of forgiveness in promoting reconciliation.

One member of the group, the Rev. Mary Hunter, a Presbyterian minister, said forgiveness is important in Ireland, where all communities have suffered deeply and where violence has engendered fear in many people.

"There is thirty years of fear to overcome," she said. "Sectarianism is rife."

The group included Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Romanian Orthodox Christians.

The Irish group said it wanted to emphasize "the simplicity of two or three coming together in Christian mutual love as a vital means of building up relations between divided peoples and communities."

Northern Ireland's 30-year conflict pitted mainly Catholic groups favoring a single Irish nation against mainly Protestant groups that want Northern Ireland to remain attached to Britain. The conflict largely came to a halt after a 1998 cease-fire agreement.

The roots of the conflict in Ireland were "much more political, historical and social than religious," the Dublin group said. "Sadly, it is true that many who carried acts of violence bore the name ‘Christian.' It is also a sad fact that in part the conflicts were a sign of the tragic consequences of divisions between Christians."

Still, it noted, "The current number of meetings and degree of cooperation and interaction between members and leaders of different churches would have been unimaginable 40 years ago."

Since 1968, materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been jointly prepared by the World Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church.

Presbyterian News Service