New church leader calls for trust and co-operation

The new President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Rev Harold Good, has expressed the hope that a recent attack on one of its churches in Dublin had "no sinister connection" with reports on the role of southern Methodists in welcoming asylum-seekers.

Mr Good, a member of the North's Human Rights Commission, was installed as Methodist president last night. In his presidential address, he criticised "all our churches". For too long they had been plagued by "narrow dogmatism and doctrine, idolatrous devotion to old buildings and customs, irrelevant and wasteful denominationalism, our unhealthy preoccupation with self-preservation, unholy alliances with political ideologies and practices so clearly in conflict with Gospel values, our indifference and our deafening silence," he said.

In recent years, there can be few places in the world where God's name has been more dishonoured than in Ireland, Mr Good claimed. He appealed to republicans and loyalists "to say and do whatever is necessary to give confidence to those whose trust depends upon categorical assurances that all weapons of terror have been - or will be - put completely beyond use".

In return, he called on unionists and others to "do all that is necessary to give reasons for others to trust you".

At the Presbyterian General Assembly, which ended in Belfast yesterday, it was decided that a new hymn book should be prepared.

Undoubtedly the most powerful address to the General Assembly this year was by Mr Arthur Miskelly, Ahorey , a former RUC officer, in a debate about flags and emblems on Thursday.

He spoke of his 30 years' service in south Armagh and his experiences in "burying the head of a Presbyterian" and the death of a colleague, whose shattered remains he had to shovel into a bin bag.

His departure from the RUC was forced on him after his home was attacked by gunmen, when his wife and children were inside.

From those experiences, he rose to defend the emblems he held dear, - the harp, shamrock, and crown - against others who had spoken against them in the debate.