Primate honours ‘unstinting witness’ of the late Bishop James Mehaffey
The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd Dr Richard Clarke, has issued the following statement on the death of the Rt Revd Dr James Mehaffey, former Bishop of Derry and Raphoe:
“Having known Bishop James Mehaffey for almost all my life – literally since my earliest childhood – I would like to convey sincere and personal sympathy to his wife Thelma and to their wider family. But I would wish also to express huge admiration for Bishop Mehaffey’s enormous contribution not only to the life of the Church of Ireland, but also to the work of reconciling divided communities throughout his episcopal ministry in the Dioceses of Derry and Raphoe. Modelling graciousness and mettle in equal measure, Jim Mehaffey was a great example to many of us as to what it means to be a Christian leader in a world of turmoil and we thank God for that life of unstinting Christian witness.”