SIR, — I am writing in response to the letter published last week submitted by the various ministers of the Free Presbyterian Church objecting to the Good Friday Walk in Castlewellan.
Growing up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, I was conscious of the term ‘men of violence’, yet here we have ‘men of God’ spreading an inciteful message of hatred and bigotry during this Easter season.
I trust that in their ill-referenced ure quote; ‘… come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing…’ (2 Cor 6:17); that I being a Roman Catholic am one of the ‘unclean’ they refer to.
As well as being a Roman Catholic, I am also a member of the Castlewellan Area Bible group whom the ministers refer to in their letter.
This group is made up of individuals from various Christian backgrounds and at our weekly meetings we have the opportunity to explore our faith and pray together in a welcoming and inclusive forum.
I consider all members of this group good friends, committed Christians and we are all privileged to share a deep love of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the spirit of unity, I would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the Free Presbyterian ministers to attend one of our Bible meetings so that they can see for themselves that people from various faiths can unite and share a common belief in Christ.
I will continue to keep all the ministers in my prayers and I trust in God through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, that the scales of bigotry will be removed from their hearts and that they will spread a message of love, peace and unity going forward.
Yours etc,
KAREN McLOUGHLIN.