Ireland's churches unite in support of Stormont deal

The leaders of the four biggest churches in Ireland have issued a joint statement in support of the Stormont deal, which was made yesterday.

The heads of the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and the Methodist Church all put their names to a statement in support of the deal, which hopes to salvage Northern Ireland's power-sharing administration.

The deal, which took ten weeks of talks to form, was prompted by the coalition Executive's near collapse after a range of disputes including the fallout from a murder linked to the IRA and an acute budgetary crisis.

In it, they said: "We recognise that everyone involved in the negotiations will not have achieved all that they wanted in this agreement, nor will everyone who reads it be fully content with every aspect of it. Such is the nature of any agreed accommodation.

"However, we pray that this particular accommodation reached in the interests of all, will be the basis for beginning to restore hope to those who are struggling and re-establish the trust that has been slowly ebbing from our political institutions."

The new deal, which is almost 70 pages long, resolves the budgetary crisis which was caused by the long-term failure to adopt welfare changes.

However, it failed to secure a solution regarding the issues that have arisen from the Northern Ireland troubles.

David Cameron has said the Stormont deal was "an important turning point for Northern Ireland."

It is also backed by the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, but the executive's Justice Minister David Ford, who leads the Alliance Party, has said his party refused to support it.

Victims' groups have said they are disappointed there is no movement on the legacy issues of the Troubles.

News
NHS Trust settles with Christian nurse suspended in trans row
NHS Trust settles with Christian nurse suspended in trans row

A Christian nurse who was suspended for 10 months after allegedly misgendering a transgender patient has received a settlement from the NHS. 

Fulani terrorists kill 20 Christians in Nigeria's Plateau State
Fulani terrorists kill 20 Christians in Nigeria's Plateau State

Gunmen described as “Fulani terrorists” raided a village in central Nigeria on Thursday night and killed at least 20 Christians, area residents said.

New ‘Tyndale Trail’ launched to mark 500 years of English New Testament
New ‘Tyndale Trail’ launched to mark 500 years of English New Testament

A new long-distance walking trail tracing the life of Bible translator William Tyndale has been launched in south-west England, as part of commemorations marking 500 years since his groundbreaking English New Testament.

Russia and Ukraine agree to temporary Orthodox Easter truce
Russia and Ukraine agree to temporary Orthodox Easter truce

In the Orthodox calendar, Easter falls one week after the date celebrated in western Europe.