Reverend Steven Foster:

I will hold those words powerfully for what they are. I will also share a couple of thoughts of my own.

At the centre of my faith and of what Methodists live for, both in terms of personal faith and our social commitment to all who are marginalised or sidelined, is reconciliation. We hold that commitment to reconciliation thoroughly while taking seriously the challenges and issues that we face and the need to listen to the experiences of others. This commitment to reconciliation and having the difficult conversations is something that we in the Methodist church are keen to be a part of. We continue to wish to exercise this commitment thoroughly in listening to all and engaging well. It is important that we all step back and listen well.

A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to attend the Ireland's Future event. I was thankful for all of the contributions and work that went on behind it. I listened to all of the different voices. At an event like that, there will be cheers or boos, but this level of engagement by small groups of people listening together needs to happen and be taken seriously. There can be settings where one view or another is expressed. During the Ireland's Future event, there was constant reference to how crucial it was that the unionist voice be heard.

Within that, we need to recognise the diversity of voices. As we outlined in our paper, the Methodist Church in Ireland is not coming from a unionist perspective. Members have our identities within the church, but it is a mixture. There is diversity, not just in political backgrounds and opinions, but in who we are in terms of our races, sexualities and other aspects of identity. It is all those in-between voices. I listened to the radio the other day following the discussion about the chant after the football match. I do not wish to link this point to the football match in particular, but there was a radio debate between one side and the other. I was more in the middle thinking to myself that there were nuances involved.

Regarding the voices of those who have been affected by the violence, I was glad of Mr. Jimmy Nesbitt highlighting the voices of victims at the end of the Ireland's Future event. The voice of one victim is not more important than another, and in this discussion on constitutional change that may lead to a unified Ireland, those who have suffered deeply in the name of a united Ireland must know that their voices are being held well.

We appreciate this opportunity for genuine engagement. We want all to know their voices are heard and to seek to continue to engage in the process.