Clergymen hail agreement

Following the Northern Ireland peace agreement yesterday, the Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, said: "History will judge this day as one of the most significant in the history of Ireland."

The Catholic Primate, Dr Sean Brady, congratulated all involved in the negotiations "who had worked so tirelessly, so courageously and so patiently to bring us to where we are today". He welcomed "the good news that agreement has been reached at the peace talks".

A more cautious Dr Sam Hutchinson, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, said his church would give the agreement document "careful and sustained study", and would issue a considered statement in due course. The president of the Methodist Church, Dr Norman Taggart, warmly welcomed the agreement.

Dr Eames said that the combined efforts of the British and Irish governments, the representatives of the political parties, the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister "have produced possibilities for political progress which even a few years ago would have seemed impossible".

Now, he said, it was for the people to examine these possibilities, and he prayed "that the curse of violence has been removed from future generations".

In his response, Dr Brady said it was his fervent hope that the agreement would be a significant milestone on the road to a just and lasting peace, and he urged that the proposals it contains "be given a fair hearing".

He hoped it would lead to an Ireland where people could grow in respect for each other and learn to trust each other despite their differences. "Only a limited number was involved in the peace talks," he said, but "all of us must now be participants in the work of reconciliation, of building trust and of healing the hurts".

He pointed out that the Easter feast was about victory over death and the birth of new life, that for Christians it was a time of profound hope. "The hope of new life grows stronger this Eastertide," he said, adding that "we must pray earnestly this weekend that this hope will sustain us all through the inevitable challenges which lie ahead".

Dr Hutchinson encouraged everyone to read the agreement document carefully, "to listen to and participate in informed discussion and to consider the issues prayerfully before God who loves all the people of these islands". Violence, or its threat, and the arousing of fears and anxieties must not be permitted to colour evaluation of the proposals, he said.

Dr Taggart warmly welcomed the agreement "as a genuine attempt to help us move beyond conflict and uncertainty," and congratulated those who had worked so hard to bring it to this point.

Much remained to be done, he said. Relationships between the politicians needed to be developed, and a willingness to listen to the views of others was necessary.

Arguing that change was necessary, he suggested three questions to be considered in evaluating the agreement: whether it increased the prospects of a more compassionate, just and peaceful society; whether it was generally fair to the aspirations of the main traditions; and whether there was a realistic alternative.

Clear thinking, vision and courage were required, and he suggested these matters be brought before God in prayer. "We must leave division and violence behind us. A more open, just and caring society can be created," he said.