Statement by Archbishop John McDowell on unrest in Northern Ireland
A statement from Archbishop John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland:
"The scenes of violence which have taken place over this week in some of our towns are a source of great shame for Northern Ireland. Hiding behind the figment of “legitimate concerns” but in fact motivated by crude racism, groups of young men (and the shadowy and unaccountable people who control them) planned and carried out attacks on civil society and on democracy. The damage they have caused is not just material; it cannot be simply swept away.
"As disciples of Jesus Christ, called to respect the dignity of every person made in the image and likeness of God, we should put ourselves in the shoes of someone trapped inside a house or a hostel while an angry mob gathers outside. It must be utterly terrifying. Imagine the lasting impact of such terror on a child.
"The people who are the target of such squalid protests have come to this country to make a new life and to make a living. Just as we would rightly refuse to be judged by the criminal actions of any individual who happens to be from the same nationality or ethnicity as us, so we should question those who do so of others.
"As with many people I, too, have legitimate concerns. I am concerned that when family members can no longer care for themselves and are at their most vulnerable, there won’t be skilled assistants and carers to help look after them. Or that when I go to hospital, there won’t be nurses and doctors from around the globe to provide expert treatment and care. Or that so many of the industries crucial to a flourishing Northern Ireland – from agriculture to the arts, from restaurants to R&D – will wither without workers being respected and valued, regardless of their background.
"I have also a legitimate concern that the scapegoating of people whose skin is a different colour, who speak different languages or who practice a different faith, will allow policymakers to continue to ignore the actual, deep-seated problems which make Northern Ireland a place of low productivity and social and political unease.
"Above all, I have a concern that speaking about other people and cultures in sub-human and certainly sub-Christian terms, and acting towards them as though they are in some way inferior to me, will deaden my soul to the love of the God of all nations, whose Son allowed Himself to be bowed to the ground to bring an end once and for all to every ethnic division."