Bishop Donal McKeown, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Down and Connor Following the Labour Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the controversial Troubles Legacy Act, the Bishop of Derry has said any new proposals must ensure “we develop a more honest narrative about our shared past” and deliver a more peaceful future for youth.
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act was rejected by all political parties and victims’ groups in the North, and is the subject of legal challenge by the Irish Government in the European Court of Human Rights. It became law last year, introduced by the Conservative government in 2020.
“The purpose has to be not just to enable individuals to get justice for what happened to them, it’s also to help develop a macro narrative which liberates us rather than imprisons us,” Bishop Donal McKeown told The Irish Catholic.
He said that while the Labour government have promised to do something, “what that something is going look like remains to be seen”.
“I would be involved with the inter-Churches working group to discuss all the issues involved and I think we’re all keen that we find some way of enabling us to make peace with the past and not to be trapped by it. You end up going on an endless cycle of complaining about things of the past but not being able to go beyond it,” Bishop McKeown said.
“I think the Churches will be having that perspective, not just seeing it purely from a legalistic perspective, but being able to deliver a peaceful future for all of our young people in a very fraught and worrying environment.”