The Orange bishop and An Post
Well, that was a busy programme this morning. We'd a most unusual on the show. Bishop Henry Richmond from the Church of England will be speaking at the county Fermanagh demonstration on Wednesday, and he gave our audience a sense of what he plans to say.
He'll tell those at the 'field' that the Roman Catholic Church of today would, in so many respects, meet the theological ambitions of the Protestant Reformers; that the Order should engage directly with the Parades' Commission and with residents' groups; called on his brethren to show an openness to dialogue with those who disagree with them; and even smiled optimistically at my suggestion that Orange hospitality might one day be extended to a contingent of Hibernians marching alongside Orange lodges on the Twelfth. At the end of the interview, I speculated that the bishop may be in for an interesting time at the Fermanagh demonstration on .
While on the platform on the Twelfth, Bishop Richmond will join with his brother Orangemen in voting through the traditional Resolutions. An additional resolution is worth noting on this, the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme -- the most important battle in the history of Orangeism in Ireland. The resolution includes these words:
We would encourage continued efforts to ensure that those soldiers from what is now the Republic of Ireland, who similarly served with honour in the 10th, 16th and 36th Divisions and other units, and whose memories have for too long been neglected, are not forgotten, and we commend the Irish Postal Service for issuing a stamp commemorating this notable anniversary
This may be the first time an of the Irish state has been commended at a Twelfth of July commemoration. Unless you know otherwise.
Comments
Indeed, a very interesting character. I'm surprised that it's hard to find out much about him online. No doubt he'll be in the Northern Irish news later in the week.
I would like to hear last Sundays Sunday Sequence please.