08.04.2016
Bishop of Clogher Elected President of Irish Council of Churches
The Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd John McDowell, has been elected as President of the Irish Council of Churches (ICC) for 2016–2018. The election took place at the ICC’s 93rd Annual Meeting at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, yesterday (April 7) and Bishop McDowell will be assisted by the Revd Brian Anderson as Vice–President. Mr Anderson is currently the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland.
Bishop McDowell said: “I am very honoured to take up this role at a time of great challenge and opportunity for the Churches in Ireland. In doing so, I wish to thank the Past President, the Revd Dr Donald Watts, and outgoing Executive Officer, Mervyn McCullagh, for their leadership and hard work in refreshing and enhancing the work of the ICC. I look forward to helping to develop and provide a voice for Ireland’s Churches to connect through a common belief in Christ over the next two years”.
The meeting reviewed the ICC’s work in recent years including the Irish Churches Peace Project and its engagement with government on welfare reform, climate justice, marriage legislation and the integration of migrants and refugees. The Council reaffirmed 10 commitments which included a recognition and appreciation of cultural and ethnic diversity as gifts of God, working towards inclusive communities, and co–operation with migrant–led Churches and chaplaincies in providing pastoral care and support to migrants.
The Rt Revd John McDowell was born in 1956 and has served as Bishop of Clogher since May 2011. He was formerly Rector of St Mark’s, Dundela, in East Belfast (2002–2011) and an Honorary Secretary of the General Synod (2008–2011). Bishop McDowell is Chairman of the Church of Ireland’s Commission on Christian Unity and Dialogue.
The Irish Council of Churches was founded in 1923 and is the formal national body through which its member churches formally engage, dialogue and act on a wide variety of issues. Its membership comprises 14 denominations: the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Church of Ireland, the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church in Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Moravian Church, the Non–Subscribing Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Religious Society of Friends, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Salvation Army. More information is available on its website: www.irishchurches.org
Photo caption: The Rt Revd John McDowell, President of the Irish Council of Churches, with Mr Mervyn McCullagh, outgoing Executive Officer, Irish Council of Churches.