25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, the Church still has a vital role to play

David Smyth shares his experience of growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and considers the role of the Church in sustaining peace

Growing up during the Troubles, I remember my father taking turns on ‘car-park duty’ at church each week. This was to make sure no one stole our cars while we were worshipping – or so I thought. I only found out years later that the real reason was to deter anyone from attaching bombs to the vehicles of the police officers in the congregation. Alongside others, he was  helping to create a literal safe space where, for a short time at least, policemen and women could worship without fear.

Today, if you look at a map of Northern Ireland overlaid with a religious breakdown of Protestants and Catholics, you will still see physical divisions. I grew up in Hillsborough, a few hundred yards from the only royal palace in Northern Ireland. Unsurprisingly, the village was 98 per cent Protestant. My friend grew up in South Armagh, a few hundred yards from the border. Her village was 98 per cent Catholic. This is why many young people still do not have any real friends from the ‘other’ community. Even in more mixed areas, people often go to different schools, read different newspapers and follow different sports teams.