10.12.2010
New Inter-faith Council meets in Dublin
Representatives of various faiths recently attended the inaugural meeting of the Dublin Inter Religious Council at Roman Catholic Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s house in Drumcondra. The event was hosted by Archbishop Martin and Archbishop John Neill of the Church of Ireland.
At the meeting, Archbishop Martin was voted chairman of the council. Other positions decided on the day were chairman of the executive committee, Prof Brendan Leahy of the Roman Catholic faith; honorary secretary, Aksobhin Tracy and honorary treasurer, John Keeling, both from the Buddhist community.
The Constitution of the council was approved by its members and signed into effect by Archbishop Martin who emphasised the importance of the DIRC, saying that despite the fact "Ireland is becoming a pluralist society, that doesn't mean it has to become a secular society."
The DIRC aims to promote the sharing of knowledge among faith communities in Dublin to help build a peaceful and just society. It will create a forum for deliberating on and articulating areas of common interest and concern. It hopes to promote respect for unique traditions and differences in belief and advance religion for the benefit of the public in accordance with traditions, principles and values that inspire peace, justice and harmony.
Speaking at the event, Archbishop Neill applauded the work that had gone into establishing the council. He described the meeting of leaders and members of various faiths as "a preliminary but very important stage in the journey of a very exciting development". He added that it is of immense importance for different faiths to listen to, learn from and respect each other.
Others present at the meeting included representatives from the Religious Society of Friends and Hindu, Islam, Bah’ai, Buddhist, Methodist, Jewish, Lutheran and Romanian Orthodox faiths. It is hoped that the initiative will be officially launched in May of next year.
