Northern Ireland - It Ain't Over Till It's Over.

As a proud citizen of Northern Ireland, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw the recent picture of staunch Unionist the Rev. Ian Paisley sitting next to Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland's leading Irish Republican Party. Let's be frank about this - these two guys are not bosom buddies. They don't hang out together. Their political aspirations are as far apart as any - Paisley wants what many people in Northern Ireland want, that this tiny piece of land, about the size of Connecticut, remain part of the United Kingdom. Adams insists that the "Occupied Six Counties," as many Irish Republicans call Northern Ireland, be returned to their rightful owners, namely the rest of the island of Ireland. Where quite literally is the common ground? Yet, here they are laughing and joking as they sit together in a new Northern Ireland Assembly. Now I know what magic you can do with PhotoShop but even the most cynical amongst us must admit that these are pretty remarkable days.

So, that's it...let us now pack up our peacebuilding bags, and put away our peacebuilding books. Now all these smart people who are so good at ending conflict can move on to the next seat of conflict. You can always be sure that someone somewhere is fighting about something.

But hold on, let's not be too hasty. Here's some math for you. It has been suggested by John Paul Lederach, one of the gurus in the field of peacebuilding, that for every year of conflict, it will take a year to get out of it. The violence that marked the conflict in Northern Ireland started in 1969. The Irish Republican Army announced a cessation of violence in 1997 and The Belfast Agreement was signed was signed in April 1998. Technically then, the conflict lasted for about twenty-seven years. That means, if I can count properly, that we have about another eighteen years before we can really say Northern Ireland is at peace. The year 2025!

What does this mean? Well, put simply it means that peace is not a once and for all phenomenon. It takes time and it takes patience. It takes continued hard work. It takes youth to be involved. The success of the Northern Irish peace process is not merely politicians sitting smiling for photographers, it is the legions of people who work in the background for little or no credit, to ensure we have societies in which everyone can live in peace. Many of these people are youth, dedicated to not repeating the wrongs committed by their ancestors. I have worked with many of these young people and I am continually impressed by their dedication to peace even when this may mean ridicule or being ostracized by their friends and communities.

Catholic Connections

As Christians we have a God-given responsibility to seek reconciliation where there is division. Pope John Paul II said "Christianity understands and recognizes the noble and just struggle for justice; but Christianity is decisively opposed to fomenting hatred and to promoting or provoking violence or struggle for the sake of "struggle", The command, "Thou shalt not kill," must be binding on the conscience of humanity, if the terrible tragedy and destiny of Cain is not to be repeated. Peace is the result of many converging attitudes and realities: it is the product of moral concerns of ethical principles based on the Gospel message and fortified by it."

Reflection Questions

In his sermon to the faithful in Ireland, Pope John Paul II invoked the words of the Apostle Peter: "Never pay back one wrong with another" (1 Pt 3:9) Is it human nature to want payback or revenge?

What conflicts in the world today are called religious conflicts but may not actually be about religion? Is religion a factor?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!