CLERGYMEN PRAY FOR PEACE
Clergymen pray for peace
A GROUP of local clergymen said prayers for peace at this week's special meeting of Fermanagh District Council, called to condemn the bomb in Omagh town centre and to express solidarity with the people of the town.
One of them, Rev Raymond Thompson, the Church of Ireland Rector in Irvinestown, who is Chairman of the Fermanagh District Partnership Board, spoke on behalf of Board members.
He said he happened to be in Altnagelvin Hospital on Saturday evening and he added that words could not express how the people there felt, including the staff. He said he detected a sense of guilt among his own congregation the following morning.
"I think this whole tragedy should make us all treble our efforts to find some sort of peace and reconciliation amongst our communities. My
predecessor, David Bolton has been very much involved in the events of the weekend and I would like to pay tribute to him because I know what he is going through at the moment because this has rekindled the events of Enniskillen.
"There is a tremendous amount of work today to pick up the threads and the pieces because the ramifications will last for years and years. These people are going to need a tremendous amount of support and I appeal to all of you for your prayers and thoughts".
Pastor Alvin Mullan, from the local Baptist Church, told the meeting he did not vote for the Agreement but that did not mean he did not want peace: "I invite you to come into my church to hear what I preach but I will refrain from saying anything political. But, what I will say is the word of God in Romans 13 tells us what my duties are towards the powers that be.
"I must submit to that. It also tells us what the duties of the powers that be are. One of those duties is to terrorise, to be a terror to the evil, in other words to terrorise the terrorist", he said.
Rev William Park, from the Enniskillen Independent Methodist Church, said he hoped that Councillors would not use the Omagh and other tragedies to further any political agenda.
"It certainly is our desire that God may comfort those who have been bereaved and those who have been maimed. It will be a long process for many".
Other clergy present included - Rt Rev Mgr Sean Cahill, P.P., V.G., Enniskillen; Rev Brian Courtney, Church of Ireland Rector at Enniskillen and Rev Alan Ferguson from the Enniskillen Methodist Church, each of whom gave a reading from the Scriptures.
A GROUP of local clergymen said prayers for peace at this week's special meeting of Fermanagh District Council, called to condemn the bomb in Omagh town centre and to express solidarity with the people of the town.
One of them, Rev Raymond Thompson, the Church of Ireland Rector in Irvinestown, who is Chairman of the Fermanagh District Partnership Board, spoke on behalf of Board members.
He said he happened to be in Altnagelvin Hospital on Saturday evening and he added that words could not express how the people there felt, including the staff. He said he detected a sense of guilt among his own congregation the following morning.
"I think this whole tragedy should make us all treble our efforts to find some sort of peace and reconciliation amongst our communities. My
predecessor, David Bolton has been very much involved in the events of the weekend and I would like to pay tribute to him because I know what he is going through at the moment because this has rekindled the events of Enniskillen.
"There is a tremendous amount of work today to pick up the threads and the pieces because the ramifications will last for years and years. These people are going to need a tremendous amount of support and I appeal to all of you for your prayers and thoughts".
Pastor Alvin Mullan, from the local Baptist Church, told the meeting he did not vote for the Agreement but that did not mean he did not want peace: "I invite you to come into my church to hear what I preach but I will refrain from saying anything political. But, what I will say is the word of God in Romans 13 tells us what my duties are towards the powers that be.
"I must submit to that. It also tells us what the duties of the powers that be are. One of those duties is to terrorise, to be a terror to the evil, in other words to terrorise the terrorist", he said.
Rev William Park, from the Enniskillen Independent Methodist Church, said he hoped that Councillors would not use the Omagh and other tragedies to further any political agenda.
"It certainly is our desire that God may comfort those who have been bereaved and those who have been maimed. It will be a long process for many".
Other clergy present included - Rt Rev Mgr Sean Cahill, P.P., V.G., Enniskillen; Rev Brian Courtney, Church of Ireland Rector at Enniskillen and Rev Alan Ferguson from the Enniskillen Methodist Church, each of whom gave a reading from the Scriptures.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0069
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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