Archbishop Eames announces his retirement
In his Presidential Address to the General Synod this morning, the Rt Revd Robin Eames announced his decision to retire. “For the past 20 years it has been both my privilege and responsibility to exercise the duties of the Primacy of our historic Church. I have decided after much prayer, thought and discussion with those I love that I should retire from my position as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland. Accordingly I will be informing the House of Bishops next October of my wish to retire on 31 December this year. I am announcing my intentions today as this will be the last occasion I preside over the General Synod of the Church of Ireland”, he said.
Outlining his years in ministry, the Archbishop recalled the period of the Troubles in Northern Ireland “when I saw the heights of compassion and nobility as well as the weakness and evil of human character, the struggle to maintain normality and preach the Gospel imperatives in a society which was driven to the edge but always managed to keep going, the suffering of families and those numerous funeral services in parishes across this Province. Now the struggle to build a new society of justice, equality and reconciliation demands renewed faith and renewed courage”, he said. “
He also celebrated the many opportunities he had to play a part in the Anglican Communion with his work on the Eames Commission, the Virginia Report on the nature of Communion, and the Windsor Report in 2004.
The Archbishop thanked all those he worked with over the years, paying particular tribute to his personal assistant, Mrs Roberta Haffey, his wife Lady Eames and his family.
The Archbishop’s retirement will be effective from the 31st December 2006.
Addressing the Synod, the Most Revd John Neill, Archbishop of Dublin paid tribute to the Primate’s contribution to the life of the Church of Ireland. “There is already in this Synod a sense of deep gratitude to you and to God who provided the right person for the right time”, he said. Referring to the great change that has happened in both the Church of Ireland and the throughout the island over the past twenty years, Archbishop Neill celebrated the Primate’s solid leadership. “During that period you have been a steady influence. You have been trusted by many people who dare not trust each other…… God has given you a steady mind, strong judgement and warm personality”, he said.
During his Presidential Address, Archbishop Eames expressed his sympathy for those who have suffered bereavement at the hands of violence in Northern Ireland, particularly Michael McIlveen who was a victim of “sheer blind thuggery.” He mentioned also the families of the Omagh bomb victims, the Finucane and Wright families and “those countless families whose loved ones simply disappeared without trace and who yearn to be able to give them a Christian burial.”
The Archbishop spoke of the dedication and hard work of both the British and Irish governments in their attempts to encourage political progress. However, he warned that “we cannot afford many more false dawns” and urged local politicians to make “full use of the opportunities now available to move the agenda forward.”
Emphasising the necessity for trust in overcoming obstacles to progress, he told Synod that “too often confidence in reaching out to each other and reaching out to the future has been absent here.” He urged that Unionists “need to grasp confidence in their constitutional position and to move forward in the knowledge that the age-old constitutional issue is no longer either something requiring constant reassurance and lies in the hands of the majority of people, nor is it demanding constant priority in debate.” At the same time he said that Nationalists “equally should embrace confidence that their rights and place of equality in Northern Ireland are assured.” He warned that focussing on the past can provide support for sustaining negativity. “The past and how we deal with it will determine so much of our future as a community. Memories run deep. There are many questions for which there seems no answer”, he said.
Archbishop Eames went on to highlight the moral issues that also contribute to attitudes, putting two questions to members of Synod and, in particular, to both governments: “How far does the achievement of political progress justify expediency?” and “How far should we allow factors which in normal circumstances raise grave issues of justice and injustice, right and wrong to become in inconvenience to political progress?” He cautioned “Government ignores such moral issues at its peril. The Church must put these questions to society. It must surely raise its voice for there is a moral dimension in the real path to peace.”
In the context of this, the Primate embraced the establishment of the Hard Gospel Project which seeks to confront issues of sectarianism, injustice and difference. “The Gospel imperative is hard to take. It is even harder to translate into practical action. But face its implications we must. The Hard Gospel Project must not fail to make us face uncomfortable truths about ourselves and we must have the courage to respond as we seek a shared future”, he said.
Following on from the very successful Forum on Child Poverty held in December, the Primate told Synod of his intention to meet with representatives from a number of groups within the Church who are interested in this area to develop a cohesive strategy for tackling this important issue. He expressed his desire that the momentum gained at the Forum not be lost. “We need to build on what is already being done, unify our efforts, ensure that they infiltrate every part of Church life and beyond”, he said.
Education in both Northern Ireland and the Republic also received attention in the Primate’s address. Selection issues in Northern Ireland must be resolved in such a way that the educational potential of all children is enhanced, he said. He expressed concern at some of the proposals seen so far. “I am concerned about the lack of clarity on how an academic pathway is to be maintained for children with such abilities and aptitudes and how admissions criteria will work in cases of oversubscribed popular schools”, he said. He went on to express gratitude to the Minister for Education in the Republic of Ireland, Mary Hanafin TD, who has greatly increased the support grant for the work of the Church of Ireland Board of Education in assisting and advising the boards of management.
The Primate also drew attention to the Protestant contribution to healthcare represented by the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Dublin incorporating the National Children’s Hospital in Tallaght. The Hospital is currently part of a general review of hospital services for children in the Republic. At present, three hospitals serve this area of need and the government is considering options to streamline these hospital services. The Archbishop praised what he described as Tallaght Hospital’s “inclusive vision of healthcare, treating each patient as they wished to be treated – a vision ever more relevant in an increasingly diverse society.”
Turning to matters within the Church of Ireland, Archbishop Eames referred to the recent resignation of the Rt Revd Peter Barrett, former Bishop of Cashel and Ossory. “The decision to relinquish his bishopric represented a personal tragedy for his ministry, for his wife and his family, for another family which found itself involved and of course for all the clergy and people of his diocese…. On behalf of the General Synod I assure Ann Barrett and her family of our prayers.” He went on to welcome the Very Reverend Michael Burrows recently elected as the new Bishop of Cashel and Ossory.
Regarding the training and provision of ministry within the Church, the Archbishop told members that the Bishops “are engaged in an extensive review of the current ministerial training system.” He told Synod that it is there intention to consult widely across the Church of Ireland as this first review of training since the 1970s is undertaken. He called for greater flexibility in the provision of training. “The purpose is to equip the leaders of our Church to encourage its members in Christian discipleship and to enable them to be confident in their contemporary witness to the faith once delivered”, he said.
Speaking of the future of the Church, the Archbishop warned that we are “living in times of constant and growing demands on central funds and greatly increased expenditure at parochial and diocesan level.” He urged Synod to give some thought to ensuring the continued financial health of the Church.
The Archbishop paid tribute to the late Bishop Noel Willoughby who passed away earlier this year. Recalling his “great warmth, compassion and endless humour”, the Archbishop offered his sympathies to Bishop Willoughby’s wife, Valerie, and his family. “Noel was and will always remain for us a devoted and dedicated servant of his God and his Church”, he said.