‘Love your enemies’

Speaking to the Sentinel in advance of tomorrow evening’s visit to First Derry Presbyterian Church by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, Dr Latimer said that recent his decisions to speak at the Sinn Fein annual conference and to attend an event launching Martin McGuinness’ bid to becoming the Republic of Ireland’s head of state should not be viewed as one-off events but as part of a process.

President McAleese will give the inaugural address at an anticipated annual event at First Derry called ‘Conversations across Walls and Borders’.

Rev Latimer said: “My decision to address the Ard Fheis and my acceptance of an invite to Free Derry corner cannot be seen as one-off events but as part of a process-a journey I am on and it is my firm belief that I have been given this by God and it will only end with the help of those I am engaging with.”

The cleric said that most of the work of building inter-communal relations takes place at Stormont to the exclusion of people affected by the Troubles and events such as tomorrow’s help to bridge gaps at ground level.

“There is a fractured community in Derry/Londonderry and part of the rationale for tomorrow’s event is to help people envision the future together, embrace the difference and move in the same direction together and growing reconciliation in the city,” he said.

The Presbyterian minister said he had hatched the plans for the series of conversations in the run-up to the re-opening of First Derry Presbyterian Church earlier this year.

“The congregation was displaced for nine years, so there was clearly a requirement for people from the Church to get to know their neighbours on the other side of the Walls. Tomorrow’s event is the sequel to the opening service. A door of opportunity is opening and this should not be lost.”

The attendance of President McAleese at the initial event at First Derry is not being underestimated by Dr Latimer who said: “The city is really being highly favoured by President McAleese. She is a lady of real stature and has experience of living and working in a divided society and is superbly equipped to encourage both communities-to see that together we can be stronger and that the future cannot be like the past-when we happily remained within our respective comfort zones.

“Mary McAleese, like her predecessor (Mary Robinson) is a truly great president who has helped take Ireland into the premier league of nations.”

As well as the address by President McAleese tomorrow evening’s event will see music from the Foyle and Londonderry College Jazz band, their junior choir as well as the choir from St Mary’s College. Local singer/songwriter Paul Casey will also perform. The event will also see a panel discussion chaired by BBC presenter Dr William Crawley. The panel will consist of Marie Lindsay, principal of St Mary’s College, Ken Thatcher, senior teacher at Foyle College and Maureen Hetherington from Holywell Trust.

Asked what he thought of recent heavy criticism from within the unionist community with regard to his engagement with Martin McGuinness Rev Latimer said that around a third of the communication he has received on his actions have been critical whilst the remainder has been approving.

He asked that his detractors allow sufficient time to pass to allow hurt to heal. He said: “This is clearly the work of God that is being written and David Latimer is only a tiny little pencil in the Maker’s hand.

“If we stop talking a vacuum will appear and into that vacuum will step conflict. Nobody in this city no longer wants conflict.

“In dispute it is not our friends we need to talk to, it is our enemies. As St Matthew said we must ‘love our enemies’ and see the barriers fall.”