The Conference of Churches of the Celtic and Allied Nations, often misleadingly called the Celtic Church, is a Christian organisation created shortly after Doomsday as part of the effort to restore peace in Northern Ireland. It has been called the religious arm of the same effort of which the Celtic Alliance is the secular arm. And like the Alliance itself, the Conference has expanded its scope and taken on roles well beyond its original purpose. The Conference of Churches has had more success than the Alliance in expanding into southern Scotland and England. It has been branching out there and into a few other countries since the mid-1990s.
History[]
Doomsday[]
Across the island of Ireland, the various Christian churches became absolutely essential for maintaining social cohesion in the aftermath of Doomsday. Despite the constitutional secularism of Eire (the Catholic Church had lost any special status in 1972), the Irish Government found that it had to work closely with the Church in order to keep the country united. But church-state cooperation created risks in Northern Ireland, where the Irish government was taking on the role of keeping the peace between Catholic and Protestant factions. Ireland wanted to avoid looking like it favoured one side.
Meanwhile, Catholics in Ireland struggled to cope with the destruction of Rome and the loss of easy communication with Catholic leaders outside the British Isles. The Primate of Ireland's Roman Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Armagh, stated that the authority of Rome over the Irish Church had seemingly lapsed, since no communication was forthcoming from the appropriate corners, but that this presented an opportunity to look to Ireland itself and form new links with neighbours from other branches of the faith; similar beliefs were being expressed by the Anglican community.
Irish Presbyterians were likewise making appeals for interfaith unity. The General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland and a few other bodies met at a conference also held in Armagh. The conference produced a text that called for cooperation with Ireland's Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists, including a statement of principles thought to be common to all Christians. This was accepted, though not without very serious dissent from those who feared that it represented a watering-down of the faith.
The Synod of Armagh[]
These moves culminated in the Synod of Armagh held on Easter, April 22 1984. Archbishop Tomás Séamus Ó Fiaich, Primate of Ireland, convened the Synod alongside other church leaders. On the agenda were discussions of how to work together to minister to the Christian faithful and promote peace in Northern Ireland. The following declaration was signed by Ó Fiaich, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh; Thomas John Simpson, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; Henry Robert McAdoo, Anglican Archbishop of Ireland; and Gaetano Alibrandi, Papal Nuncio to Ireland:
Declaration of Armagh: "We the Christian faithful of the West rejoice and proclaim Christ at this our family unity. Sourced from pain and grief we embrace and celebrate our diversity and oneness. Let us proclaim with many voices in unison Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, and in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me,Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. We bind to ourselves today The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity: we believe in the Trinity in the Unity The Creator of the Universe."
This show of unity was not acceptable to all religious groups. In particular the Free Presbyterians of Ulster rejected the idea outright; in fact they had refused to attend the Synod. The earlier statement by the Presbyterian churches had been questionable already; this level of ecumenism was unacceptable, even in principle, to many of the more radical Protestants. More moderate Protestants, including the PCI, saw it as a way to overcome the years of trouble in Northern Ireland.
The Troubles[]
This show of unity by church leaders was not enough to solve the simmering ethno-religious conflicts in Northern Ireland, which the stresses of the Aftermath soon caused to boil over. Armed militias associated with the Catholics and Protestants were taking over much of the country. It's universally acknowledged that the Protestant side attacked first - a particularly grisly execution conducted before dawn on 1 May 1985 - but the Catholic side responded with equal ferocity. Wholesale religious war consumed Northern Ireland and began to spread to adjacent parts of Ireland and Scotland.
The following March (1986), the Republic of Ireland concluded an agreement with the emergency British government of northern Scotland and the autonomous Western Isles Council in which they agreed to support one another in bringing peace and order to Ulster. This was the origin of what would become the Celtic Alliance. For the next decade, the new Alliance worked to bring in leaders from both sides, seeking a solution that could work a permanent peace.
The Conference of Churches[]
The signatory churches to the Declaration of Armagh were brought into the formal peace process in 1988. It was clear that stopping this religious war would require the work of religious leaders. The Declaration of Armagh was a good starting point for Christian unity, and much early effort centered around efforts to get the Free Presbyterians and other more radical churches to sign it; but they would have none of it.
But war weariness set in as the 80s turned to the 90s with no end in sight to the Troubles. The Alliance was beginning to see some success, restoring civil government in some Northern Irish localities, keeping northern Scotland largely free of sectarian violence, and extending aid to Wales, which was now on track to membership. The idea of a parallel alliance of churches took shape, one that could work toward the same ends but with faith rather than politics and security forces.
The Synod of Inverness was held in 1990. It had a significantly wider participation than its predecessor of Armagh, drawing church leaders from both Ireland and Scotland, as well as Wales and the Isle of Man, two states with increasingly close ties to the allied nations. Notably, a few were also present from the Free Presbyterians of Ulster and other recalcitrant sects. As the Troubles dragged on, many of their most radical members were (willingly or otherwise) leaving for southern Scotland. Among those who remained in Northern Ireland, both membership and leadership were growing more open to cooperation with other churches.
The Conference of Churches of Celtic and Allied Nations came out of this synod. This was one of the first uses of the term "Celtic" to describe the set of nations. It would be a few more years before the allied governments began using it officially.
The Conference's main role would be dialogue, but it was also given authority to denounce clergy who used their pulpits to stoke violence. The disciplinary power of the Conference was in the end only advisory - Catholic and Protestant hierarchies would still be intact - but signatory churches pledged to abide by its recommendations. After the Synod, many of the participating churches endorsed the new Conference, and it came into being on 1 November, All Saints' Day, 1990 - a sacred day with origins in British Christianity, and which had already become a day for remembering the victims of both the nuclear war and the Troubles.
Controversy[]
Support for the new Conference of Churches was far from universal. The Free Presbyterians and other conservative and radical Protestant groups were deeply divided. Some radicals reacted violently in opposition to it. The FPU acquiesced to membership - their support was seen as crucial - but only after five more years of debate and ongoing violence. Several church bodies never accepted it.
Some Catholics likewise felt that their Archbishops were exceeding their authority by entering into accords with the Protestants. By now, after all, it was clear that Catholic Church organisation had persisted outside Europe. There was even a new Pope, based in Brazil, though contact with him was still infrequent and unreliable. What amounted to a schism emerged when the Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot J. Ryan, along with many priests, came out against the Conference. So did Gaetano Alibrandi, the former Papal Nuncio and one of the signatories of the original Armagh Declaration. Eventually most top Catholic leaders were persuaded to accept it in the interest of unity, but many continued to oppose it because it lacked explicit papal sanction.
By the second half of the 90s, the militant groups for both sides - the IRA, UDA and UVF - were growing weaker. Their supporters were growing disillusioned, local units were disbanding, and diehards not rounded up were crossing into southern Scotland. But among the remaining Northern Irish who were inclined to oppose reconciliation, the Conference of Churches now could serve as a focus of their energy. Opposing it came to serve much the same role as support for militancy did formerly. This became part of the platforms of some conservative and nationalist political parties.
The Conference allowed the Christian churches to form a united front in the final leg of the Northern Irish peace process. They were instrumental in the peace accords of 1997 and 1998, which definitively put an end to the combat, disarmed the militants, partitioned the province, and paved the way for the restoration of civil government.
Revival and expansion[]
After 1998, focus turned from restoring peace to maintaining it, both through dialogue and discipline of clergy who continued to fan the flames of violence.
But the Conference of Churches also took on a new role. In addition to reacting to sectarianism and division, the body began to actively seek new sources of unity for all Christians in the British Isles. This was done especially by appealing to the deep past, to Celtic and Anglo-Saxon religious practices from an era before the Church was divided. It was in the promotion of these practices, and the various interfaith worship events and festivals that accompanied them, that the Conference of Churches came to be known as the "Celtic Church". The first major project of this kind was the restoration of the ancient monastery of Iona. An ecumenical community had lived there since the 1930s but had abandoned it after 1983; now, it was restored under the auspices of all the Celtic Church member bodies.
The Conference also attracted new members outside the Alliance itself in other parts of the British Isles. New members were drawn to its promotion and revival of historic British and Irish Christianity. In 2010 the main churches in the English successor nations of Cleveland (ecumenical) and Northumberland (Anglican) approached the leadership of the Celtic Church with the hope of joining the Conference. The northern English bishops endorsed the Declaration and other founding documents. This gave the Church direct connections to the ancient Abbeys of Whitby and Lindisfarne.
More recently the Conference has even attracted members outside the British Isles, primarily among British refugee communities and Anglicans looking to revive historic practices. Anglican member churches have joined in Malta and the former territories of Canada and the United States. Among expat communities there have appeared a few ecumenical "Celtic" churches with no traditional denominational ties; these can be found in France, Brazil, and West Africa.
Practices and traditions[]
Worship[]
The member churches continue to worship according to their various traditions. But some common trends emerge. The basic rituals of the churches, along with the environment and decorations in the church buildings, have generally been scaled back. The lean times after 1983 were no time for lavish expenditure, and this created enduring habits.
Joint interdenominational worship services have gradually become more common. They began among top leadership to mark important occasions like All Saints and the anniversary of Doomsday, and the practice has filtered down to the local level. It is estimated that about half the parishes in member churches participate in these joint services regularly. But it is expressly stated in the founding church documents that such services are not mandatory, and plenty of members, especially the Presbyterians, choose to opt out.
Joint services use a mix of traditions, including innovative new practices and attempts to recover lapsed ancient customs. Often the overall course of these services is similar to that of conservative Anglican Churches from before Doomsday.
Ì Chaluim Chille[]
Iona (Scottish Gaelic: Ì Chaluim Chille) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that is the home of modern Celtic Christianity as well as an important place in the history of Christianity in Europe and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. Its modern Gaelic name means "Iona of Saint Columba". Due to its geography the Isle of Iona is once again plays a central role as a port and emergency landing for supplies to the Scottish fringe. In addition, the Celtic Church has re-appointed the 1st Abbot of Iona since 1498, the new Abbess is Naomh Bríd.
The main settlement, located at St Ronan's Bay on the eastern side of the island, named Baile Mòr and is also known locally as "The Village". The new primary school, post office, the island's two hostels, the Abbots House and the restored Nunnery are here.
The Abbey is a short walk to the north. Port Bàn (white port) beach on the west side of the island is home to the main freight terminal. Iona Abbey, now the mother Abbey of the Celtic Church, is of particular historical and religious interest to pilgrims and visitors alike from across the Celtic Alliance. It is the most elaborate and best-preserved ecclesiastical building surviving from the Middle Ages in the Western Isles of Scotland. Though modest in scale in comparison to medieval abbeys elsewhere in Western Europe, it has a wealth of fine architectural detail, and monuments of many periods and is one of the few remaining ancient buildings in Europe.
In front of the Abbey stands the 9th century St Martin's Cross, one of the best-preserved Celtic crosses in the world, and a replica of the 8th century St John's Cross (original fragments in the Abbey museum). The ancient burial ground, called the Rèilig Odhrain (Eng: Oran's "burial place" or "cemetery"), contains the 12th century chapel of St Odhrán (said to be Columba's uncle), restored at the same time as the Abbey itself. It contains a number of medieval grave monuments. The abbey graveyard contains the graves of many early Scottish Kings, as well as kings from Ireland, Norway and France. Iona became the burial site for the kings of Dál Riata and their successors. Notable burials there include:
- Cináed mac Ailpín, king of the Picts (also known today as "Kenneth I of Scotland")
- Domnall mac Causantín, alternatively "king of the Picts" or "king of Alba" (i.e. Scotland; known as "Donald II")
- Máel Coluim mac Domnaill, king of Scotland ("Malcolm I")
- Donnchad mac Crínáin, king of Scotland ("Duncan I")
- Mac Bethad mac Findlaích, king of Scotland ("Macbeth")
- Domnall mac Donnchada, king of Scotland ("Domnall Bán" or "Donald III")
In 1549 an inventory of 48 Scottish, 8 Norwegian and 4 Irish kings was recorded. None of these graves are now identifiable (their inscriptions were reported to have worn away at the end of the 17th century). Saint Baithin and Saint Failbhe may also be buried on the island.
Other early Christian and medieval monuments have been removed for preservation to the cloister arcade of the Abbey, and the Abbey museum (in the medieval infirmary). The ancient buildings of Iona Abbey are now cared for by the Celtic Church
Whitby and Lindisfarne[]
In mid 2007 a Celtic Church funded travel company based in Dublin begins approaching the governments of Northumbria and Cleveland with the hopes of starting pilgrimage visits to Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and the monastery of St Hilda's at Whitby due to there links to the ancient Celtic Church.
The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded by Irish born Saint Aidan, who had been sent from Iona off the west coast of Scotland to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald around AD 635. It became the base for Christian evangelizing in the North of England and also sent a successful mission to Mercia. Monks from the community of Iona settled on the island. Northumberland's patron saint, Saint Cuthbert, was a monk and later Abbot of the monastery, and his miracles and life are recorded by the Venerable Bede. Cuthbert later became Bishop of Lindisfarne. Recently Lindisfarne has become the centre for the revival of Celtic Christianity in the North of England. Following DD, Lindisfarne has become refugee centre, as well as pilgrimage destination.
In 2008 an expedition to London was undertaken to search the ruins of the British Library for the Lindisfarne gospels. Almost miraculously the gospels were discovered almost intact, there had been some water and light damage to the pages that had been open at the time of the DD attack, but after 18 months of restoration in Dublin by the conservators who worked on the book of Kells the book is due to be returned to the Lindisfarne church with great fanfare on the 2nd of May 2010.
Governance[]
When the Conference of Churches was first founded, its natural leaders were the three original signers of the Declaration of Armagh. But since Archbishops Ó Fiaich and McAdoo had retired, the presidency was given to Thomas John Simpson, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Presidents since then serve until they decide to step down. The next president must come from a different church branch from his or her predecessor. In this way the member Churches take turns at the head.
Heads of the Conference of Churches have been:
Presidents[]
- Thomas John Simpson, 1990-1992
- Donald Caird, 1992-1995
- Thomas Winning, 1995-2000
- James Simpson, 2000-2006
- Robin Eames, 2006-2013
- 2013-2016
- 2016-2021
- 2021-present
Relations with the State[]
The Celtic Alliance has done what it could to promote unity among the churches, within its own constitutional bounds and those of its member nations. It prefers to have dealings with one organisation rather than with disparate and arguing Christian factions. In this way the Alliance can avoid the accusations of favouritism that it faced during the mid-80s. Some of the Church's activities can fall under the Alliance's mandate of promoting local culture; the state has given support to such projects as the restoration of Iona Abbey and the celebration of religious festivals.
This creates another problem, namely that the Church can appear to be too closely aligned with the state. Both the Conference of Churches itself and its member bodies have sometimes been at pains to distance themselves from the secular authorities. This has been especially important in outreach to churches outside the Alliance nations in Scotland and England. People often discuss changing the name to emphasize the distinction between church and state.
Member church bodies[]
Roman Catholic:
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Armagh
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuam
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Wrexham
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Apostolic Vicariate of Guernsey and Jersey
Anglican:
- Church of Ireland
- Church of Sodor and Mann
- Church in Wales
- Scottish Episcopal Church
- Church of Northumberland
- Diocese of Lichfield
- Diocese of Truro
- Deanery of Jersey
- Deanery of Guernsey
- Anglican Church in Malta and Europe
- Diocese of Delaware
- Diocese of Newfoundland (still part of the Anglican Church of Canada, but participating in the Conference on its own)
Presbyterian:
- Presbyterian Church in Ireland
- Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland
- Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
- Evangelical Presbyterian Church
- Church of Scotland (Northern Assembly)
- Church of Scotland (Southern Assembly)
- Free Church of Scotland
- United Free Church of Scotland
- Presbyterian Church of Scotland
- Church of Scotland (Continuing)
- Associated Presbyterian Church
- Presbyterian Church of Wales
Other Reformed:
- United Reformed Church
- Union of Welsh Independents
Methodist:
- Methodist Church in Ireland
- Methodist Church of Scotland
- Methodist Church of Wales and Western England
- Methodist Church in the Isle of Man
- Methodist Church of Northumbria
Quaker:
- Religious Society of Friends in Ireland
Ecumenical:
- Church of Cleveland
- English Church in West Africa
- Celtic and English Church in France
- Covenant of British Churches in Brazil