PCI’s An Tionólann goes for ‘month of Sundays’
- 28 Jan, 2026
West Belfast’s newest expression of ‘church’, An Tionólann (meaning ‘The Place of Assembly/Gathering’) is set begin regular weekly Sunday services on 1 February, ‘to take things to the next level’, having begun with a single monthly service back in September 2024 – and its preacher that first Sunday comes with a recognisably historic name.
Rev David Moore, who leads An Tionólann, which is the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s (PCI) special ministry in the west of the city and is excited about the move to regular Sunday worship.
Looking forward to Sunday, Mr Moore said,
“After an absence of many years, PCI began to re-engage with West Belfast in September 2022. Since then, we have arranged a number of historical, linguistic, cultural, sporting and spiritual events, like last summer’s ‘Between the Sticks’ with Antrim GAA and Scottish Shinty teams, and have been delighted with the great response from the people of West Belfast, whom we have come to serve.
“Having started monthly services in September 2024, we now have around 40 regular attenders, so we feel that the time has come to take things to the next level and establish a regular pattern of Sunday services. To kick us off, is my colleague, Rev Moore Casement will preach this Sunday. Moore has a familiar surname, and is actually a distant relation of the former diplomat and Irish patriot, Sir Roger Casement.”
Moderator’s visit in September 2025
The services are held in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on the Falls Road, which until 1982 was the home of Broadway Presbyterian Church, where in 1965 PCI’s Moderator, Right Reverend Dr Richard Murray was baptised.
Mr Moore said that he hopes that the initial trial run will become an established weekly service,
“We start at 4pm and follow a simple order of service which includes reading from the Bible and Blessing in Irish, with English translation, singing together as a congregation, which everyone enjoys regardless of how good a singer they are! The heart of our time together is spent listening and thinking about what God says through the Bible and what it means for our lives today. They last just under an hour.”
“Over the course of the month we are looking at some of the “I AM” sayings of Jesus found in John’s gospel, as He tells us who he is in his own words. For example, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’ and ‘I am the way the truth and the life’, all of which reveal a different facet of who Jesus is.
“Everyone is welcome and if this initial month of Sunday services goes well, we will be following our Lord on his journey to the Cross in the later chapters of John’s gospel during Lent, which will take us up to Easter. This Sunday it will be great to hear Moore preach and kick off our month weekly services.”
The Rev Moore Casement, the speaker this Sunday, runs the Belfast-based Cornhill Training Course, a non-denominational course which trains men and women of all ages how to understand the Bible for themselves and teach and preach it to others. He also teaches preaching to PCI’s ministry students at the city’s Union Theological College.
Also looking forward to taking part in the service at An Tionólann, Mr Casement said that, when it comes to his surname,
“In some places it has more resonance than others. My connection to Roger Casement, is, I think, that we share my four times great grandfather, which makes us very distant cousins. “I really want to give thanks to God, however, for what David and his team are doing in building this community of believers, here in West Belfast. I really appreciate the invite and I’m looking forward to joining them.
“This Sunday I will be preaching on John chapter eight, when Jesus said, “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” It is an awesome and profound statement, and if you want to know more, please join us.”
Since their first Sunday service 16 months ago, around 40 people come together to worship.
Thinking about Sunday, Rev David Moore concluded by saying,
“As we seek to reconnect and engage with this part of the city, we are excited about our trial of weekly worship services in Cultúrlann, a place that could not have been more welcoming to us from the start. If you are someone who is searching for answers to life’s big questions, or are just curious about what the Bible has to say, you would be more than welcome to join us, and stay for a cup of tea or coffee afterwards.”
Short-listed minsters for Moderator announced
- 23 Jan, 2026
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland announced today that the names of four ministers that will go before next month’s meeting of presbyteries for nomination as Moderator.
PCI’s 19 regional bodies will meet separately across Ireland on 3 February to select one of the ministers to become ‘Moderator-Designate’, who will in turn be nominated to June’s General Assembly to serve as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland for 2026-2027.
Nominees for Moderator
Together, those short-listed have a combined ministerial experience since their ordinations of more than 110 years, having served in over 10 congregations between them across six counties during the past four decades, both north and south of the border. This year’s ministers who will be considered are as follows:
Brief biographies of this year’s nominees
This year’s short-listed ministers who will be considered by presbyteries are:
Rev Dr Jonathan Curry – Minister of First Magherafelt Presbyterian Church
Jonathan was installed as minister of First Magherafelt Presbyterian Church in 2004, having been ordained as minister of Second Keady and Drumhillery Presbyterian Churches six years earlier. From 2015-2017 Jonathan was convener of PCI’s Leadership Committee and convener of its Nominations Committee 2016-2021. Since 2021 he has served as Clerk of the Presbytery of Tyrone. Jonathan was born in 1966. He is a member of the Presbytery of Tyrone.
Rev Ker Graham – Minister of Clarkesbridge & First Newtownhamilton Presbyterian Church, Garmany’s Grove and McKelvey’s Grove Presbyterian Churches
Ker was installed as minister of Clarkesbridge & First Newtownhamilton Presbyterian Church, Garmany’s Grove and McKelvey’s Grove Presbyterian Churches in 2008, having been minister of Castlereagh Presbyterian Church from 2002-2005, when he resigned his charge. Born in 1962, he was ordained as minister of First Castlederg & Killeter Presbyterian Church in 1998. Since 2022 Ker has been convener of the Linkage Commission. He is a member of the Presbytery of Newry.
Rev Richard Kerr – Minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church
Richard was ordained minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian in 2005, where he continues to serve. Born in 1965, Richard was convener of PCI’s Global Concerns Committee from 2015-2020 and has been convener of the Global Development Committee from 2021. He is a member of the Presbytery of Templepatrick.
Rev Mairisíne Stanfield – Minister of City Church Bangor
Mairisíne became minister of First Presbyterian Church, Bangor in 2013. (The congregation changed its name to City Church, Bangor in 2025). Born in 1965, she was ordained in 1990 as assistant minister of Regent Street Presbyterian Church, Newtownards, becoming minister of First Presbyterian Church, Ballynahinch, in 1993. She is a member of the Presbytery of Ards.
Acting Clerk of Assembly
The process of choosing a new Moderator, who will be the 180th person to hold PCI’s highest office, starts in the late autumn when presbyteries begin to suggest the names of ministers who they would like to see considered.
Overseen by the Acting Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Dr David Allen, in the run up to Christmas he informs those on this initial ‘long-list’ that they have been suggested, and to confirm to him that they would be willing to have their names go forward. Those that do are then voted on by presbyteries when they meet on the first Tuesday in February.
While that process has not changed, the position that PCI finds itself since the last election of February 2025 has changed. The public announcement by the Church in November of the discovery central administrative safeguarding failures led to the unprecedented standing down of the Moderator. As a result, Dr Richard Murray, the immediate past Moderator returned to office and called a Special General Assembly for 18 December to discuss specific proposals to address the safeguarding failures and other related matters.
Speaking about the moderatorship, Dr Allen said,
“When we came together in December, I said to Members of Assembly that we can’t unthinkingly behave as if it is business as usual. We recognised that the role of Moderator would have a different emphasis, which the report before us described as ‘primarily a “pastoral” moderatorship’.
“As I said at the time, every Moderator plays a pastoral role, encouraging, praying for and being with the Church, being with members, elders, and ministers, preaching on Sunday’s and visiting presbyteries. In our current circumstances that aspect of the role will increase and become more significant. It needs to be different and along with that, invitations to some public events will be respectfully declined.”
On the election itself, the Acting Clerk said that all ministers and the representative elder from each congregation within the presbytery’s bounds will vote for their preferred candidate. The presbytery’s single vote is then given to the person who receives the majority of votes cast at the meeting. The minister with the support of most presbyteries at the end of the evening, will become the Moderator-Designate.
“At our General Assembly this coming June, the Moderator-Designate will be formerly nominated for election as Moderator. Should there be a tied vote when presbyteries meet, which last happened in 2014, they will remain in session and vote again. This time, only those who tied in the first round will be considered in the second.
“This is a prayerful, open, democratic, and a very Presbyterian process. This year especially, I would ask my brothers and sisters in Christ across our Church, especially members of presbytery who will be voting, to pray earnestly for the Lord’s guidance and for the person chosen to be our Moderator in the times that we find ourselves. I look forward to working with them, whoever is called to serve and lead us.”
The name of the Moderator-Designate should be known around 9pm on Tuesday, 3 February and will posted on PCI’s websiteand social media platforms
In the Presbyterian system of church government, each presbytery consists of ministers and elders who are drawn from local congregations, and other ministries in a particular area. As a court of the church, each presbytery is responsible for overseeing those congregations in its local area, while undertaking other important tasks, which include the ordination and installation of ministers (also known as teaching elders), the ordination of elders, and the annual selection of the minister who will become PCI’s Moderator.
There are currently 19 presbyteries: Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, East Belfast, North Belfast, South Belfast, Carrickfergus, Coleraine & Limavady, Derry & Donegal, Down, Dromore, Dublin & Munster, Iveagh, Monaghan, Newry, Omagh, Route, Templepatrick, Tyrone. Monaghan and Dublin & Munster are located in the Republic of Ireland, while Derry & Donegal is cross border, with congregations located in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. With congregations primarily in Northern Ireland, the Presbytery of Newry has two congregations across the border in County Monaghan.
PCI ‘Safeguarding Roadshow’ hits the road
- 20 Jan, 2026
As the first tranche of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s (PCI) ‘Safeguarding Roadshows’ has hit the road. The all-Ireland denomination’s safeguarding lead has said that she hopes ‘as many as possible take the opportunity to take part, as it is an important opportunity to hear how safeguarding is changing in PCI.”
Special General Assembly
The Roadshows were announced by PCI’s safeguarding Lead, Jayne Bellingham, at last month’s Special General Assembly. Designed for those who have responsibility for safeguarding in PCI’s 500-plus congregations, the initial series of nine information evenings at venues across the island of Ireland, began last week in Bangor.
Taking place in venues in Counties Antrim, Cavan, Derry/Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh and Tyrone, the roadshow’s final stop in this series will be in Lucan, County Dublin at the end of February. The initiative is part of the preparation for major safeguarding changes that are to be implemented shortly with regards to the protection of children and adults.
Speaking about the roadshows, Mrs Bellingham said that she had been very encouraged by the first one last week.
“We had a great turn out, nearly 100 people in Bangor, and I want to thank everyone from so many different congregations in the surrounding area, and farther afield, for coming. It was an invaluable time of information sharing, roundtable discussion, Q&As, feedback, and prayer. It was also a great demonstration of the commitment to safeguarding in our local churches.
“As the world becomes more complex, safeguarding becomes more complex, and as we move into this new year we enter a time of looking forward, and we want to ensure that day-to-day safeguarding in PCI can be the best it can be. It is important that we do this together, and our roadshows are part of that process of moving forward, so we get the heart of safeguarding right.”
Mrs Bellingham explained that since the spring of 2024 the denomination has been working with others on developing a new suite of safeguarding policies and procedures that take in the legislative changes in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
“The new policies were agreed by the 2025 General Assembly in June, with a suite of detailed updated procedures in the final stages of approval, they will come into force in next month.
“In preparation for the launch of these new procedures, I want to encourage our safeguarding leads to come along to whatever information evening is convenient to them, so that they can hear first-hand what is being planned. The Q&A sessions will be really important, as will the feedback from them.
Mrs Bellingham continued,
“This is the first of a number of safeguarding initiatives that are taking place this year. We will be holding online seminars following the release of the new safeguarding procedures to help and support people through them, there will be increased training sessions, videos produced and other resources made available, including a safeguarding conference later on this year. We are also considering further series of roadshows on other aspects of safeguarding practice, all of which is part of elevating the position of safeguarding within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
“We know that our designated persons in our churches in Northern Ireland, and our designated liaison persons in our congregations in the Republic of Ireland, are central to the success of safeguarding across our denomination. All are volunteers in their own local churches, working quietly and tirelessly to ensure the safeguarding of children and adults, and I can’t thank them enough for what they do. I sincerely hope that as many as possible take the opportunity to come and engage with the roadshow, as it is an important opportunity to see how safeguarding is changing in PCI. We would also value your prayers.”
Latest edition of ‘The Review’ focuses on Special Assembly
- 08 Jan, 2026
Following the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s (PCI) Special General Assembly last month, the all-Ireland denomination has produced its third edition of The Review – a digital snapshot of the special meeting, which took place in the week before Christmas.
The Special General Assembly was called by PCI’s Moderator, Right Reverend Dr Richard Murray, to discuss specific proposals to address the central safeguarding failures announced publicly by the Church in November, and other related matters.
The eight-page online magazine, which is available on issuu.com, and includes news and photos from the meeting. Held in Assembly Buildings in central Belfast and attended by 700 ministers and elders, journalists and over 100 members of the public, The Review’s embedded links also take readers to the report and resolutions that were discussed on the day.
Speaking about the latest edition, Mark Neale, PCI’s Head of Communications, hoped readers would find it informative.
“Our first edition was produced within three weeks of the close of the 2024 General Assembly. While it lasted for three days and more business was transacted, this time around, with the Christmas break fast approaching, we managed to write, design, and publish within three working days of the close of the Special Assembly. Given that, I would like to thank everyone on the team who made this possible. So far it has been viewed over 1000 times, which is really encouraging.
“This edition of The Review provides a brief summary of the business and the key decisions taken at the special assembly. As an organisation which seeks to communicate in an open and transparent way, the front-page headline ‘A repentant Assembly’ sets the scene, and the tone for what took place, as we report on Dr Murray’s opening address in which he apologised, as Moderator, on behalf of PCI to those who have been hurt or harmed as a result of the Church’s central safeguarding failings.”
While the next meeting of the General Assembly has been scheduled for 9-11 June 2026, it was agreed that some of the business discussed at Special General Assembly should be reported back for final agreement to a second Special General Assembly. This will be called by the Moderator prior to the June meeting and is likely to be held on 17 February.
Where to read The Review
You can read The Review here on issuu.com or download a copy from this website here.
PCI welcomes PSNI investigation
17 Nov, 2025
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has said that it welcomes the investigation announced today by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and will be co-operating fully with it.
A spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said,
“Having been informed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland that they have launched a criminal investigation we welcome this believing it will provide a thorough, trusted and transparent outcome. We will co-operate fully with the investigation. We will make available all relevant files, reports and information to assist police with their inquiries.
“As a consequence of the PSNI’s announcement today of their investigation we will not be able to make any further comment related to the inquiry or aspects pertaining to it.”
You can read today’s statement made by the Police Service of Northern Ireland by clicking here: PSNI Statement.
Safeguarding: Congregational statement
16 Nov, 2025
The following statement from Rev Dr David Allen, Acting Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), was sent to ministers in PCI congregations across the Ireland of island to be read by them in services today.
This is a statement from David Allen, the Acting Clerk of the General Assembly, who has asked for this statement to be read in all our churches today.
By now you may have heard the distressing news reports about serious safeguarding failings in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. I want to share some things about that with you.
An investigation into the handling of past safeguarding issues at Assembly Buildings level has taken place.
Between 2009 and 2021, with one additional case in 2022:
- we failed to make referrals to statutory authorities when these were required;
- we did not respond adequately to concerns expressed to us about individuals in congregations;
- we failed to respond properly when people asked for help when they had suffered harm;
- we failed to keep proper and adequate records.
Also, we were told by statutory authorities that some offenders wanted to return to worship in Church, and we didn’t monitor them as we should.
This was addressed as soon as we discovered it, with the statutory authorities and all required safeguards are now in place.
These failings do not involve our current safeguarding team, and did not involve everyone who was part of our team in the past. Alongside these failings, there were, and are, staff members doing outstanding work, and we thank them for it.
However, I must say now that these failures are inexcusable, and no excuse is being made for them. On behalf of the Presbyterian Church, I am deeply sorry.
I’m sorry, firstly, because people have been let down by us. Through past actions, or not acting as we should, we have put people at risk, and we know that some people have been harmed.
We have betrayed the trust that people placed in us and I am deeply sorry for the hurt and grief that this has caused. On behalf of the Church, I apologise unreservedly to everyone affected by this and to the wider Church. We want to do everything we can to support victims and survivors of our failings. We are truly sorry.
If you are thinking about disclosing a concern about harm or abuse that has happened, whether that was in the church or somewhere else, I want to encourage you as strongly as possibly to do that.
You can contact us, at the PCI response line. If you don’t want to speak to PCI, then please get in touch with the Police or Victim Support. All contact details are available by scanning the QR code displayed on the screen, by going to the PCI website, or by phoning Assembly Buildings and asking for Safeguarding.
I’m sorry as well, because we are part of the Church of Jesus Christ. He gave His life for us and He is the Head of His Church. He calls on us to minister and reach out to those around us, showing His love, speaking His Word, and doing all that we can to bring honour and glory to Him. We have failed our Saviour and Lord, we have dishonoured Him.
I am inexpressibly grieved and ashamed by this – to dishonour our Lord in this way is beyond words. I ask you to join me in lamenting this, in seeking His forgiveness, and in asking for grace to do whatever He calls us to in light of our sin.
Last Wednesday was the first time we were able to tell people that we had found certain things. That was just the start of a very difficult process. that’s going to last for some time.
We will not sweep this under the carpet, we will open ourselves to external review, and will cooperate fully.
An external audit is already underway, designed by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland, called Section 12. This audit will review our practices and processes, and will be submitted to the Safeguarding Board.
We have been talking to statutory agencies, and are continuing to do that, because we want to do things right, and we want their help in that. Again, we are co-operating fully.
On 1st December, Dr Richard Murray is due to become Moderator of the General Assembly. That day, he intends to announce that a special meeting of the General Assembly will take place next month.
This was a central failing, and I want to acknowledge people who provide compassionate and safe care in our local safeguarding teams. Thank you for doing that.
For many years, we have been blessed by a team of trainers in safeguarding, and hundreds of designated persons in our congregations. This is vital local work, and at a time when so much has been called into question, thank you for what you do.
Sometimes, when awful things happen, like this, we wonder what we can do. What we can do is pray.
Please pray to the Lord God Almighty, who is our Loving Heavenly Father. Pray for those who have been affected by this – those who have been harmed and their families; those who will now be anxious and worried; those who feel betrayed; those who are now suspicious of us; and those who blame us, and may be tempted to blame God.
Pray that those who need help and support will seek it and get it, that they will find comfort and support; and pray that even though the Church has failed them, they will know that the Lord has not.
Please pray for all of our Safeguarding teams and those involved in ministry within the lives of our congregations.
I want to finish by saying again, that we are deeply sorry.
We should not be in this situation.
Join with me in pleading with God to be merciful to us, to forgive us, to purge us of our wrong-doing, and to make us more like the Lord Jesus.
Pray that His will would be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thank you.
Victim Support NI
14 Nov, 2025
If you have been affected by the recent safeguarding statement from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and require additional support from an independent agency, we would encourage you to reach out to Victim Support NI.
Victim Support NI
The role of Victim Support NI is to help those who have been affected by crime, and their services are trauma-informed, confidential, safe, and free. A list of all their services can be found on their website: Victim Support NI | Supporting People Affected By Crime.
You can contact them from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on the phone number below. Alternatively, you can email either their Belfast or Foyle offices.
Belfast phone number: 028 9013 0405
Belfast office email: belfast@victimsupportni.org.uk
Foyle office email: foyle@victimsupportni.org.uk
For those living in the Republic of Ireland, you can contact the Crime Victims Helpline on Freephone 116 006 or visit their website: www.crimevictimshelpline.ie
You can avail of further support from the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline in Northern Ireland. Call them on 0808 802 1414 or email them at help@dsahelpline.org
No one should suffer in silence, please be reassured that help and support is available.
Safeguarding Review
12 Nov, 2025
The Convener of the General Council of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rev Dr David Bruce, made the following statement regarding safeguarding matters within the Church at a news conference held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast this afternoon.
Speaking at the news conference, Dr Bruce said, “My name is David Bruce and I am speaking to you today as Convener of the General Council of PCI. In following the remarks of Dr Gribben, what I will add today, is said in sorrow and with deep regret.
“I wish to speak about some matters which have come to light, and which will be of concern to many, both within and beyond the Presbyterian family on this island. Ensuring the safety of all those who take part in the life and work of our congregations has long been a priority for us.
“This essential work has been entrusted to our Safeguarding Team based in Assembly Buildings, who both organise safeguarding training and provide professional advice in difficult situations to ministers and leaders in local churches. Indeed, the Taking Care guidelines implemented by PCI some years ago have provided a robust framework for safety in our congregations.
“Our current Safeguarding Team has identified a number of situations between 2009 and 2021, with one as late as 2022, where we have failed to deliver an adequate safeguarding service. In most instances, this involved a basic failure to follow our own Taking Care guidance. These failings were magnified by major gaps in necessary recordkeeping, so it is inevitable that we have not identified all situations where practice was unacceptable.
“The failures identified to date include:
- situations where we failed to make referrals to statutory authorities when these were required
- situations where we did not respond adequately to concerns expressed to us about individuals in congregations
- situations where we have failed to respond to people who, having suffered harm, have sought our help
- situations where some offenders returning to worship in Church, following referrals to us by statutory bodies, were inadequately monitored.
“The person with lead responsibility for this work during these years is no longer in post. We are working closely in support of our current Safeguarding Team members to both follow up with those who have been let down where possible, and to improve our safeguarding governance arrangements and practice. In that respect, and to address these failings, we have taken the following main steps:
- we have liaised with appropriate statutory bodies in relation to both the overall failings we have identified, and individual poorly-handled situations
- all situations where offenders requiring supervision when worshipping with us have been reviewed and appropriate arrangements have been put in place in each case
- we have increased our staffing dedicated to safeguarding, and have reviewed and are updating both policies and procedures. You will appreciate this is an ongoing process that will continue in the months ahead
- we have put in place arrangements for people who contact our Safeguarding Team to escalate their concerns if they believe they have not been responded to swiftly
- we have enhanced the training curriculum being delivered to church leaders locally and also our central staff in Assembly Buildings
- we are currently refreshing our governance framework and arrangements for raising concerns about practice, also termed whistleblowing, within our central staff team
- we have set in place regular external cross-professional supervision for our Safeguarding Lead and Director
- We have implemented Practice Standards for Safeguarding, reporting against these to a revised oversight body to the General Council, which I convene
- We are commencing an audit of our safeguarding arrangements against a framework devised by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland and will submit this once it is complete.
“Above and beyond all of these necessary steps however, rests our primary concern, which is the people who have been harmed, placed at risk, or who simply didn’t hear from us when they needed help or guidance. We have let you down, and for this I am truly sorry. It should not have happened. I want you to know that we will do everything we can to both put in place better arrangements to prevent this occurring again, and to put the appropriate help and support in place for you now.
“Anyone in our congregations, or those more broadly associated with us, either now or in the past, who may have been impacted can contact us directly through a dedicated response line, or email address. The details are on the screen behind me: telephone number +44 (0)28 9041 7308 or via email SAT@presbyterianireland.org These details will also be on the PCI website and we are available to take calls from 9am tomorrow morning.
“I would reassure anyone contacting the team that they will be listened to, heard and responded to, as they should have been previously. Our response team, is trained to take a trauma-informed approach in this extremely sensitive work.
“To conclude, I say to you, the members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and others associated with us now or in the past, our failure in doing what you have charged us with doing, is without excuse.
I ask you to pray – that those who have been harmed might find healing in the time ahead, and that together, we might recover the qualities of caring compassion, which lie in our heart as a people, but which through these evident failings have been so seriously compromised. Thank you.”
Statement by the Moderator
12 Nov, 2025.
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Rev Dr Trevor Gribben, made the following statement at a news conference in Assembly Buildings, Belfast this afternoon.
Speaking at the news conference, the Moderator said,
“Following an internal investigation and report, it has become clear that there have been serious and significant failings in the central safeguarding functions of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland from the period 2009 to 2022. As a result of this, people have been placed at risk. We are aware of a number of people who have been harmed, and we believe there may well be others as yet unknown to us. We apologise unreservedly for this.
“The Church’s first and greatest concern about this is for those people who have suffered harm, and those who have been put at risk. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland profoundly regrets this, is deeply grieved, and will offer all possible support to those affected. My colleague, Dr Bruce, will speak more about this shortly.
“Although not directly responsible for the professional delivery of safeguarding within the Church, nonetheless serious and significant failings in our central safeguarding functions occurred partly during my tenure as General Secretary. In light of this, I have decided it would be best at this time for me to step aside from my current role as Moderator of the General Assembly, the Church’s chief public representative. I have therefore informed the Church’s General Council, and Charity Trustees, that I intend to stand down from the office of Moderator of the General Assembly at the end of this month, thus giving time to make arrangements for these duties to be fulfilled by others.”
“In addition, I have asked, and been given permission to retire from my employed role as Clerk of the Assembly and General Secretary. This will allow others to take forward all of the steps that my colleague Dr Bruce will shortly outline.
“I have made these decisions and taken these steps with the deepest personal regret that our central failings have caused such harm to those who deserve our protection the most.
“My colleague, Dr Bruce, will make a further statement.”
Irish Presidential Election
Presbyterians pray for presidential candidates
22 Oct, 2025.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s poll, Dr Gribben said,
“This Friday members of our congregations from across the Republic of Ireland, along with other citizens entitled to vote, will have the opportunity of choosing the next President of Ireland, as they go to the polls to elect a successor to President Michael D Higgins.“In my letter to our congregations in that part of our island, I wanted to take the opportunity, as my predecessors have done in the past, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for those who are seeking Ireland’s highest office. While the role is considered to be mainly symbolic and largely ceremonial, following their inauguration those who become Uachtarán na hÉireann will assume the authority that the Constitution grants to them. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 2:2, we need to pray for those in political authority.”
Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator explained that through God’s Word, the Prophet Jeremiah also speaks about this. Referring to his theme for his year in office, which is ‘Hope and a future in Jesus’, Dr Gribben said, “I preached on my theme at this year’s General Assembly in June. It is based around Jeremiah 29:1 & 4-14, where he speaks of ‘seeking the peace and prosperity of the city’.
Dr Gribben continued,
“I said that God called His people in Jeremiah’s day to seek the peace and prosperity of the city – as we, His followers, are called to do today, and I believe that this means engaging in the place we call home by active participation in the life of our local communities, which includes taking part in the democratic process. For many that may mean simply casting a vote. Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s election, we should pray for whoever becomes the 10th President of Ireland, and for all those in political authority across this island, just as we are called to do.”
Áras an Uachtaráin (Photo credit William Murphy WikiCommons)
The one with the signs 