Terrorist Victims Offended Again by Church

SUBSTANCE OF A LETTER TO DR DONALD PATTEN, MODERATOR OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

(Similar sentiments were also sent to the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh, and to Coventry Cathedral where David Porter works)


Dear Dr Patten

I read with disgust, in the Newsletter yesterday (29/01/09), the endorsement of the Eames/Bradley report which your church gave to it. It is quite clear that the service for victims that was held in Belfast by your church and at which you officiated was but a cover-up for your real orientation.

That service may have 'taken in' some Presbyterian victims (the appellation counts for nothing save in the councils of the sectarian), but it did not deceive many others. Your fraternisation with PIRA/SF over decades is enough to dispel any notion that you have any care or concern for victims.

The deafening silence of Presbyterian ministers about this institutionalised re-traumatisation of victims, mainly by senior ecumenical church people, is an affront to decency. It appears that they all endorse the position of PCI on this matter.

I am asking you to do two things, as a matter of urgency; first, to send out through the media an unqualified apology to all those decent victims whom you have insulted by your unsympathetic stance of many years, and your support for this repulsive report; and second, to bring Lesley Carrol in for questioning by Presbyterian victims who share my revulsion to this report and the church authorities for her role in this obscenity.

However, because Lesley Carrol is one of your ministers, you are by default in a conflict of interest situation, so any "considered response" will be, from the outset, invalid.

If you do these two things, and show that you really do support the innocent victims of terrorism, then you will have salvaged some semblance of credibility for your church as a caring institution.

However, if you refuse to come out in support of the innocent victims, many of whose relatives your church's ministers buried, including my youngest brother, Ken, then you will have demonstrated yet again your hypocrisy so far as your concern for the current and constant pain and suffering that many victims of terrorism still experience.

Please do not further retraumatise victims. You witnessed on Wednesday, as I did, the anger and depth of feeling that were expressed at the Europa Hotel - I must add that your refusal to even acknowledge my presence and dignified protest was noted, compared with the personal and gracious approach to me by the current President of the Methodist Conference, and a former one; do not conclude from that that those who chose not to express their anger and disgust, by that means, at the Eames/Bradley report felt any lesser degree of unfathomable emotion.

I found the launch very difficult at times, knowing that the brigadier of the Belfast Brigade of the PIRA, Gerry Adams, who was responsible for numerous terrorist outrages, not least the La Mon massacre, and for the reputation allotted to the Europa Hotel as the most bombed hotel in Europe, and a man who was welcomed into and 'preached' in at least one of your pulpits, was present, thus adding profound insult to long-standing injury on that occasion.

If you can give me any reassurance or even show me any respect as a human being, then I look forward to receiving your reply to this email that was exceedingly painful for me to write and send to you.

Still hurting.