On Thursday, 15 July 2021, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Right Honourable Brandon Lewis MP, published a Command Paper entitled, ‘Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past’. In its response to the Secretary of State’s statement in the House of Commons, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said that key principles previously committed to by government, especially the right of victims and survivors to seek due process and justice in the courts, remains important.

The following day, PCI’s Moderator, Right Reverend Dr David Bruce, was interviewed on BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra drive-time programme, where he expanded on his comments and the Christian understanding of reconciliation. He also spoke about the right of victims and survivors to seek due process and justice in the courts. Dr Bruce also touched upon the moral dimension to the government’s announcement, saying that it was “a deep tragedy that we are witnessing.”

We would like to thank the BBC, and Evening Extra, for their kind permission to allow us to use this interview. Dr Bruce was interviewed alongside Father Eddie Magee of the Diocese of Down and Connor by presenters Declan Harvey and Jennifer O’Leary on Friday, 15 July 2021. You can read PCI’s initial statement here.