CHURCHES SNUB SERVICE ORGANISED BY FAMILIES
Churches snub service organised by families
CHURCH leaders in Omagh are to snub a service for victims of the bomb, as divisions over the anniversary services deepened.
Clergy from the four main denominations in the town have rejected an invitation to attend next Sunday's memorial event organised by some families of the 29 people who died in the Real IRA attack.
The main representatives from the town's Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Ireland and Catholic churches will instead attend an alternative service staged by Omagh District Council next Friday at which former Lebanon hostage Terry Waite will give an address.
The move comes amid a growing row over plans for the anniversary of the bloodiest atrocity in the history of the Troubles. At least 10 families are boycotting Friday's council-run event, which will take place on the date of the bombing, in protest at how plans for new memorials were handled.
Michael Gallagher, who is chair of the family support group organising the Sunday service, said relatives are stunned by the churchmen's rejection. "Some of these clergy buried our loved ones. We can't believe they aren't coming. They are boycotting and marginalising us," he said.
He noted the main churches had attended the group's service for the last four years, "They could have attended both events for balance," he said.
Presbyterian minister the Rev John Murdoch said he and other church leaders agreed it was more appropriate to attend the council event. 'We decided to support the main event, which is the official one," he said.
In lieu of the clergymen, the group has asked a British Army padre based at Ballykinlar and an Omagh-born Catholic priest who now ministers in Wales to officiate at their service.
The families staying away from the Friday event are unhappy at council handling of the contentious wording for memorials at the bomb site and at a nearby garden of remembrance.
CHURCH leaders in Omagh are to snub a service for victims of the bomb, as divisions over the anniversary services deepened.
Clergy from the four main denominations in the town have rejected an invitation to attend next Sunday's memorial event organised by some families of the 29 people who died in the Real IRA attack.
The main representatives from the town's Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Ireland and Catholic churches will instead attend an alternative service staged by Omagh District Council next Friday at which former Lebanon hostage Terry Waite will give an address.
The move comes amid a growing row over plans for the anniversary of the bloodiest atrocity in the history of the Troubles. At least 10 families are boycotting Friday's council-run event, which will take place on the date of the bombing, in protest at how plans for new memorials were handled.
Michael Gallagher, who is chair of the family support group organising the Sunday service, said relatives are stunned by the churchmen's rejection. "Some of these clergy buried our loved ones. We can't believe they aren't coming. They are boycotting and marginalising us," he said.
He noted the main churches had attended the group's service for the last four years, "They could have attended both events for balance," he said.
Presbyterian minister the Rev John Murdoch said he and other church leaders agreed it was more appropriate to attend the council event. 'We decided to support the main event, which is the official one," he said.
In lieu of the clergymen, the group has asked a British Army padre based at Ballykinlar and an Omagh-born Catholic priest who now ministers in Wales to officiate at their service.
The families staying away from the Friday event are unhappy at council handling of the contentious wording for memorials at the bomb site and at a nearby garden of remembrance.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT10An/03
Published Date: 09-Aug-08
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