Sir, - Statistics are notoriously open to many interpretations. But the bottom line of Catalyst's recent enterprise, which Mr John Taylor has been exploiting (October 16th and November 18th) is that more than 160 Church of Ireland clerics representing the whole spectrum of the Church welcomed the opportunity to express their dismay and anger at our Church's annual association with the Drumcree scandal. By implication we are pleading that the Church as a whole needs to do more to discourage the sectarianism of which Drumcree is a glaring example. We, the Church of Ireland, must reform before we can reasonably ask others to change their ways.
Regarding the majority of the clergy who did not sign, it is possible to adduce a range of reasons from opposition through indifference to forgetfulness. One cleric has added his support as a result of recent publicity. Some expressed their opposition to our enterprise, and others told us they would have signed if the petition had been directed at a higher authority in the Church.
We have stated (and have written directly to Mr Taylor about this) that half of the signatories to Catalyst's petition have personal experience of daily life in Northern Ireland by virtue of their upbringing or ministry here.
Mr Taylor seems to think that there is a qualitative distinction between serving clergy and retired clergy. We reject this view as artificial and absurd.
As to the allegation that a clergyman appeared on the list of signatories even though he had not signed the petition, nobody has contacted us or any other members of Catalyst to this effect. Perhaps Mr Taylor will provide details.
Regarding his charges of interference in the affairs of the Archdiocese of Armagh, we would point out to Mr Taylor that the Church of Ireland is an all-Ireland church and that its structure is not congregational. The archdiocese of Armagh is one of the cross-border dioceses of the Church, with four extensive parishes in the Republic extending as far south as Drogheda. Simply in this narrow, technical sense, Drumcree affects people in the Republic. In any case, all members of the Church have a right to express their concern about behaviour that is wrong and damaging to the whole Church of Ireland.
We wish to say that Mr Taylor has disregarded facts that do not suit his purpose, and has ignored a request from us to meet him to clarify our position and his interest in the matter. Instead he has chosen to demonise publicly and repeatedly the Archbishop of Dublin, to make unfounded allegations about the honorary secretary of Catalyst and to exploit shamelessly a concern of the Church of Ireland for his own ends. We are tempted to conclude that Mr Taylor's ideal is an Episcopal Church of Northern Ireland with an explicit option for the Union.
It is hard to see Mr Taylor's confused thoughts as arising merely from ignorance or poor analysis. He speaks the language of the worst kind of sectarian, discredited old unionism. He is no friend of the Church of Ireland and would do well to direct his energy to seeking progress in his chosen arena, politics. - Yours, etc., Canon Charles Kenny,
Rev Brian Stewart,
Belfast 9.