The former Church of Ireland bishop of Connor, the Right Rev Samuel Poyntz, has said the churches in Ireland must distance themselves from "members or adherents who encourage intolerance, violence, hatred and sectarianism".
Together the churches must seek the truth of what has happened and is happening, he said. Too often they had refused to recognise the history behind the beliefs, allegiances and political views of others.
"To repeat what has often been said - if the churches are not part of the solution then they are part of the problem," he said.
Speaking at Christ Church Cathedral in Lisburn, Co Antrim, yesterday he expressed the hope that the "important" report on sectarianism within the Church of Ireland, which was presented to the General Synod last May, would not "gather dust on bookshelves".
He hoped "for a follow-up by the standing committee of the General Synod and at diocesan and parish levels as we try to face up to ourselves as church and as individual members of the Chu rch of Ireland," he said. He congratulated the diocese of Down and Dromore on appointing a diocesan reconciliation officer.
Outlining a vision for Ireland he said "we are poised between fear and exhilaration, polarisation and reconciliation, despair and hope" with the fragile peace process still in place.
"We hear considerable pleading for trust and the need to exorcise the demons of hatred, mistrust, bitterness and recrimination. While such pleas are to be supported, I do not believe this really goes to the heart of our problems," he said. Peace in Northern Ireland would not endure unless past hurts were healed. "These cannot merely be forgotten. Behind reconciliation there must be guilt, sorrow, repentance, confession, reparation, forgiveness. Forgiveness is God's gift. We have to receive it," he said.
We needed to forgive wrongs done to us and in forgiving others we would be healed. "We need to seek forgiveness from those who have been wronged by us."
If not, there lay ahead a long haul "not just spanning decades, perhaps generations, even a century before there will be genuine trust and meaningful reconciliation across the board," Dr Poyntz said.
