the innocent English inquirer asks ‘What are the Churches doing about this situation? Surely this is precisely a situation in which applied Christianity can heal?’ Innocent simpleton. The Churches are part of the situation. They have very largely contributed to produce it and it could indeed be argued that they benefit from it: All the major denominations in Northern Ireland: Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Church of Ireland and Methodists … are captive Churches. They have long ago sold their integrity and spiritual and intellectual independence to political ideologies in return for the massive support of the people of Northern Ireland.

Disputes between believers are a scandal. There is an urgent need for the Churches throughout Ireland to encourage their members to address in a constructive fashion the issues and traditions which divide believers. This requires internal debate and self-examination as well as dialogue and meetings between Churches at every level.