A Church of Ireland bishop has spoken of the "scandal" of Christians not loving each other, "either within or between denominations". At a Christian Unity service in St Muredach's Catholic cathedral, Ballina, Co Mayo, last night, Dr Richard Henderson said: "People often say how scandalous it is that there are different denominations.
"I suggest that the real scandal is that Christians do not love each other either within or between denominations". Time and again, especially in the past week, he had found his heart warming when he heard others of different backgrounds and cultures speaking of their experiences of the same God.
Christian Unity was not looking for uniformity but for an end to division, for reconciled diversity and for a real celebration of each other as God has made us.
"We need to celebrate diversity, and the best way to do this is to sit lightly on our own prejudices and acknowledge the work of God beyond our horizons," Dr Henderson said. "God is always going to be greater and freer than the measure of our mind."