Northern Ireland: Church leaders statement after meeting with Secretary of State on cost of living crisis

Source: Irish Catholic Media Office

Yesterday evening, the Leaders of the Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Methodist Church in Ireland and Irish Council of Churches met with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP.

The Church Leaders' Group (Ireland) stressed, "the need for urgent action to be taken in light of the fact that the people of Northern Ireland are experiencing the worst cost of living crisis in generations."

The Church Leaders were speaking after they met the Secretary of State at Hillsborough Castle on Wednesday evening (26 October) where they were able to relay to him the reality of life for ordinary people from their congregations and parishes across Northern Ireland, outlining the significant stress that is being caused by the fear of what is coming in the months ahead.

The Church Leaders' statement follows:

"Wednesday evening's meeting was a long-standing arrangement and we welcomed the opportunity to meet with Mr Heaton-Harris for the first time since his appointment last month, and his reappointment by the new Prime Minister on Tuesday. We stressed the need for urgent action to be taken in light of the fact that the people of Northern Ireland are experiencing the worst cost of living crisis in generations.

"Together we were able to relay to him the reality of life for ordinary people from across our congregations and parishes, outlining the significant stress that is being caused by the fear of what is coming in the months ahead and the uncertainty about the support that is being offered.

"While outlining some of the initiatives that our Churches are undertaking on the ground, as they seek to make a difference, we took the opportunity to urge the Secretary of State to give the clarity that is needed in relation to the support that has been promised, especially for the most vulnerable in our society, who are always affected the most when there is a cost of living crisis.

"In a productive and wide-ranging conversation, we also discussed the current uncertainty around the political situation in Northern Ireland and the importance of maintaining stability, regardless of whatever scenario evolves after this Friday's deadline expires to re-establish the Executive. We also took the opportunity to highlight the increasingly strained relationships on these islands, and within local communities, caused by the outworking of Brexit and the resulting Northern Ireland Protocol.

"Together we urged the Secretary of State to encourage his colleague, the Foreign Secretary, to work for a negotiated settlement with the European Union that deals with both the trade issues, and enables people to be secure in their identity, allowing relationships to improve.

"As Church Leaders we also raised two important issues that the UK government had acted on in recent years - the introduction of the most liberal abortion regime on these islands, and the current legacy bill before Parliament - outlining the concerns of many on both these highly sensitive issues."

Right Reverend Andrew Forster
President of the Irish Council of Churches

Right Reverend Dr John Kirkpatrick

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Most Reverend John McDowell

Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of all Ireland

Most Reverend Eamon Martin
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of all Ireland

Reverend David Nixon
President of the Methodist Church in Ireland

The Church Leaders Group (Ireland) comprises the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland Primates of all Ireland, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland and the President of the Irish Council of Churches. All of these represent all-Ireland denominations with churches across the whole of the island of Ireland. The Group came into existence in the late 1960s when the Church Leaders recognised the value in working together in light of the urgency of political developments of the time. Since then, those holding these offices have met frequently, united in their identity as disciples of Jesus and their shared commitment to work together for the common good.