Written by Michael Kelly
DUBLIN (OSV News) – Ireland’s most senior church member has hailed an agreement that will put a Catholic in the top political seat for the first time in Northern Ireland’s history as an “opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning”.
Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, president of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, made the comments following the restoration of a power-sharing government on February 3 after two years of stalemate. The executive branch, a key pillar of the 1998 peace agreement that ended three decades of bloody sectarian violence, has struggled to gain ground amid sporadic boycotts by political parties.
Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill is the first Catholic to head the region’s government. Her title is “Prime Minister” and is equivalent to the prime minister of another country. Addressing the region’s Legislative Assembly on the occasion of the February 3 election, Mr O’Neill, 47, said: “The days of second-class citizenship are long gone and today confirms that they will never return. ” he said.
This is the 103rd anniversary of the formation of Northern Ireland from the six northeastern counties of the island of Ireland, which remained part of the United Kingdom even after the southern 26 counties won independence from British rule.
Northern Ireland’s founders drew the state’s borders along lines they hoped would ensure a permanent Protestant majority. Protestants have traditionally favored becoming part of the United Kingdom, while Catholic communities have traditionally favored unification with the rest of the island to form a single, independent Ireland.
Northern Ireland’s first prime minister, James Craig, famously described Parliament as a “Protestant parliament for a Protestant people”, and the Catholic minority faced widespread discrimination in jobs, housing, and voting rights. he complained.
“This is a gathering for everyone, Catholic, Protestant and dissident,” O’Neill told parliament when he was elected, adding: “Despite our different outlooks and views on the future constitutional position, “The people rightly demand that we work hard and achieve results,” he added. And it’s also important to build trust and confidence in your ability to do it collectively. ”
Archbishop Martin told the Irish Catholic Newspaper that there was a “relief” from people who were “very concerned about having adequate representation to deal with the very pressing issues that North Korea has at this time.” He said that he felt that there was a sense of
He referred to the recent general strike in which tens of thousands of public sector workers, dissatisfied with the lack of pay increases, walked out.
“Obviously, the recent strikes have brought to our attention the urgent need to address issues at scale, including salaries within the civil service and the health service, huge waiting lists for people in the health service, and pressing issues within education. “We are facing a homelessness and housing crisis in Northern Ireland at the moment, which is often not talked about,” the Archbishop said.
The restoration was also welcomed by the Church Leaders Group, which represents Ireland’s main Christian denominations.
In a joint statement, leaders from the Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist traditions and the Council of Churches of Ireland said: . But achieving that will require a commitment to focus on the common good.
“It means prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized among our fellow citizens. “It means taking long-awaited tough decisions, many of which are close to breaking point,” the ecumenical body said.
Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended a conflict in which more than 3,500 people died, Northern Ireland’s constitutional status can only be changed with the consent of a majority of the population.
For the first time, the 2021 census reveals that there are more people in Northern Ireland who identify as Catholic than Protestant, prompting calls for a referendum on union with the rest of Ireland.
Michael Kelly writes for OSV News from Dublin.