THE Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey, has warmly welcomed the apology from the Catholic Bishop of Killaloe for pain caused to "our non Roman brethren" by the Ne Temere mixed marriages decree.
The May edition of The Furrow magazine reproduces a talk on ecumenism given by Dr Willie Walsh in Ballina, Co Mayo, last January. In it he also asked for forgiveness for the effects of the 1908 mixed marriages decree under which both partners to a mixed marriage were obliged to give a written undertaking that all children of the union would be brought up as Roman Catholics.
Archbishop Empey said Bishop Walsh's talk was "another remarkable statement from a remarkable man, and a very wonderful person". Dr Walsh had put his finger on what had been in his (Arch bishop Empey's) youth and well into his ministry one of the most painful issues facing Church of Ireland communities. It was a source of dreadful pain" and had a detrimental effect on young people in particular.
Protestant parents, he recalled, "were terrified of losing their grandchildren". As a curate in Stradbally, Co Laois, in 1966, he had become interested in the work of Macra na Feirme and was surprised that just two young Church of Ireland people belonged to the group. Both were married.
And though he went from house to house encouraging more young Protestants to join, "again and again" he encountered opposition from parents, fearful their children might end up marrying Roman Catholics. It had led to the phenomenon of Protestant dances", he said.
He was "thrilled and overjoyed" by what Bishop Walsh had said. He would love to see a situation where two young Christians of whatever denomination could get married and decide themselves bow they might raise their children.
On Dr Walsh's regret that more had not been done within the Catholic Church to recognise the validity of the Anglican ministry/ priesthood he said: "This has been a source of great disappointment to us". He pointed out that at the Reformation the Church of England had been careful to preserve the apostolic succession of bishops, but this was "still obviously a bone of contention".
He agreed with Dr Walsh that while ecumenism at a local level was now "infinitely stronger" than formerly, at a theological level it was in a quagmire".
Overall, Dr Empey considered Dr Walsh's comments were every brave". He compared them to the apology from the Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, for anything the church may or may not have done which contributed to the Famine. The Church of Ireland was always seeking to be made aware of where it, too, might be the cause of insensitivities, he said.
