REMEMBER THE POSITIVE PRIEST TELLS BEREAVED
Remember the positive priest tells bereaved
IN the midst of the grief that the twisting events the Omagh bomb enquiry has brought with it, local priest, Rev.Kevin Mullan, has urged people to remember the positive things about the Omagh community.
In a joint statement from the Omagh Churches Forum and the co-ordinator for the Trauma Centre, Mr. Michael Duffy, Fr. Mullan said that he recognised people were seeking answers.
"I think some are seeking clarity and truth, sometimes out of a sense of responsibility to those who had died, or out of a desire to understand why and how they got caught up in things beyond their control.
"Getting answers to these and other questions is an important and understandable purpose. We all need grace in this situation; especially those with the questions, those with the answers, and those with the responsibility of determining the way forward," he said.
Fr. Mullan continued: "The media coverage focussed intensely this past week on the sorrow of Omagh. But in the midst of it all I felt it was important to remember the positive things about this community, about the friendliness and neighbourliness of its people, of their strength and of their desire to see good things to happen for the town and the surrounding area, for themselves and their families," he said.
His Forum counterpart. Rev. Robert Herron, said he felt that those he had spoken with were reluctant to be drawn into the wider political debate about policing and the differences between the Ombudsman and the Chief Constable.
"The issue that seems to be of greatest concern is the achievement of justice, which will show that this terrible event, ought not and should not have happened," he said.
he went on: "The danger is that the response to the policing debate could become sectarian and I do not think that wold be at all helpful for the people concerned or for Omagh."
Both he and Fr. Mullan also expressed their concern about the impact of the debate raging over the events of the past three-and-a-half years, on the well-being of the wider Omagh Community.
Meanwhile, Mr. Michael Duffy, co-ordinator of the Omagh Trauma Centre, said the fact that so many different events related to the Omagh tragedy had taken place over a short concentrated time period it had caused people to think again about the events that they were beginning to come to terms with.
He said some were upset and angry by the events of the past few weeks while others felt tired and weary.
He also recognised that the media had a responsibility to report the other many images of Omagh.
"Alongside the images of Omagh conveyed through the media over the past few days are the ordinary and everyday experiences and hopes of this community. Such experiences are crucial to helping people reclaim their lives again," he said.
IN the midst of the grief that the twisting events the Omagh bomb enquiry has brought with it, local priest, Rev.Kevin Mullan, has urged people to remember the positive things about the Omagh community.
In a joint statement from the Omagh Churches Forum and the co-ordinator for the Trauma Centre, Mr. Michael Duffy, Fr. Mullan said that he recognised people were seeking answers.
"I think some are seeking clarity and truth, sometimes out of a sense of responsibility to those who had died, or out of a desire to understand why and how they got caught up in things beyond their control.
"Getting answers to these and other questions is an important and understandable purpose. We all need grace in this situation; especially those with the questions, those with the answers, and those with the responsibility of determining the way forward," he said.
Fr. Mullan continued: "The media coverage focussed intensely this past week on the sorrow of Omagh. But in the midst of it all I felt it was important to remember the positive things about this community, about the friendliness and neighbourliness of its people, of their strength and of their desire to see good things to happen for the town and the surrounding area, for themselves and their families," he said.
His Forum counterpart. Rev. Robert Herron, said he felt that those he had spoken with were reluctant to be drawn into the wider political debate about policing and the differences between the Ombudsman and the Chief Constable.
"The issue that seems to be of greatest concern is the achievement of justice, which will show that this terrible event, ought not and should not have happened," he said.
he went on: "The danger is that the response to the policing debate could become sectarian and I do not think that wold be at all helpful for the people concerned or for Omagh."
Both he and Fr. Mullan also expressed their concern about the impact of the debate raging over the events of the past three-and-a-half years, on the well-being of the wider Omagh Community.
Meanwhile, Mr. Michael Duffy, co-ordinator of the Omagh Trauma Centre, said the fact that so many different events related to the Omagh tragedy had taken place over a short concentrated time period it had caused people to think again about the events that they were beginning to come to terms with.
He said some were upset and angry by the events of the past few weeks while others felt tired and weary.
He also recognised that the media had a responsibility to report the other many images of Omagh.
"Alongside the images of Omagh conveyed through the media over the past few days are the ordinary and everyday experiences and hopes of this community. Such experiences are crucial to helping people reclaim their lives again," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1001
Published Date: 31-Jan-02
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