Presbyterians consider Vatican document

At the Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast yesterday, the Vatican's Dominus Iesus was said to have been motivated by "a powerful faction in the Roman Catholic Church . . . scared silly by the spirit of openness introduced by Vatican II".

Quoting from an article in the newsletter of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Rev Robert Herron, who ministers in Omagh, continued that this "faction" in the Vatican saw this spirit of openness "as an `anything goes' mood among the no-longer-docile faithful. It is determined to batten down the hatches and wait out the storm."

A growing number of people, who claimed to have faith, did not seem to connect with the institutional church of any denomination, he said. We were witnessing the growth of what could only be described as "post-denominational Christianity".

The Rev Warren Porter welcomed Dominus Iesus because of its emphasis on Christ and because "it was useful in clearing away many of the mists of ecumenicity". There had been "low visibility" and it "left us in no doubt about the position of the Church of Rome." Its honesty and sincerity should be recognised, he said.

Before the debate a letter read to the General Assembly from the Catholic Primate, Dr Sean Brady, in which he conveyed his greetings and his "kind personal regards and my warm good wishes" to the new Moderator, Dr Dunlop, was warmly applauded by delegates.

The church's Youth Board announced a major new initiative last night to help bring about "effective reconciliation programmes", which will enable Presbyterian communities "to actively engage in positive community relations".

Police are treating as suspicious a fire which destroyed Newmills Presbyterian Church near Portadown, Co Armagh, early yesterday. "Community relations are very good in this area, and we would never have imagined anything like this happening," the Rev Gordon Best said. Some church members said, however, that a service conducted for local Orangemen on Sunday may have made the church a target for arsonists.