Presbyterian members criticise next leader's views on women ministers

The Reverend Sam Mawhinney is the minister of Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church in Dublin

More than 150 Presbyterian Church members have signed an open letter criticising the next moderator's views opposing the ordination of women.

They expressed concern that the Rev Sam Mawhinney's comments had encouraged other clergy to "voice hostility to women in leadership roles".

"Misogynistic remarks", their letter suggests, are "not at all rare within certain quarters" of the Church.

The Church said it would give the letter "due consideration".

It suggested the letter's purpose was "primarily for the benefit of the media", rather than a request for the Church to review the issue.

In an interview with BBC News NI in February, Dr Mawhinney, the moderator-designate, said even though it was Church policy, he was against the ordination of women.

It was his personal view, he said, but added that he respected the Church's stance on the issue.

'Dropped like a bombshell'

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has since made it clear its policy of ordaining women ministers has not changed.

Now the signatories to the letter, addressed to the outgoing moderator the Rev John Kirkpatrick, said Dr Mawhinney's comments "dropped like a bombshell".

In the following days his remarks "radiated shockwaves of despair among ordinary members of the Presbyterian Church across Ireland," the letter added.

"Dr Mawhinney's comments ignore the fact that it has been the policy of the Presbyterian Church to ordain women to eldership for almost a century, and to the ministry for exactly 50 years," it continued.

A spokesperson for the Church said the letter, signed by 'Concerned Presbyterians', was sent by email to the moderator at the same time it was distributed to the media.

"It appears, however, from media reporting of this story to date, that the main author of the letter is in fact not a member of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland," they said.

"Clearly a number of others who have signed it are not members of PCI either."

'Great hurt'

Among the signatories was retired professor of French, Ruth Whelan, who once studied to become a lay preacher in the church, but later gave up on that ambition.

She said part of the reason for this was a lack of support.

"It is a matter of great hurt and despair to those of us who would wish to continue with Presbyterianism that the Church is going in such a way that it's making it very difficult," she told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme.

Asked if she had thought of leaving the Church, she replied: "It has crossed my mind, yes."

The open letter was organised by former Presbyterian elder Steven Smyrl, who was removed from his role at Christ Church Sandymount in Dublin in 2019 because he was in a same-sex marriage.

Mr Smyrl said that when Dr Mawhinney was asked about his views on the ordination of women, he should merely have stated the Church's official policy.

Other signatories to the letter include former Northern Ireland justice minister David Ford and infectious disease expert Prof Sam McConkey.

The letter called for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland to demonstrate its commitment to equality

The signatories want the Church to publicly "demonstrate its commitment to upholding the value and worth of women as equals in both the church and in wider society".

"The signatories to this letter demand that church authorities act immediately and without prevarication in order to repair the damage to the reputation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland".

The letter stated it was "completely inappropriate" that Dr Mawhinney did not simply "restate his church's longstanding commitment to equality", when asked about the ordination of women.

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There are instances where male minsters, the letter said, had "either publicly voiced their hostility to women in leadership roles, or who have gone further by actually making disparaging and misogynistic remarks".

"Such hostility must be one of the principal reasons why in recent years so few women have come forward for ordination and why male elders in congregations far outnumber females."

'Due and appropriate consideration'

A spokesman for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said it had been unaware of the letter until contacted by the BBC.

"As is normal practice, when correspondence is received, time is taken to give it due and appropriate consideration," they said.

Dr Mawhinney is based at Adelaide Road Presbyterian in Dublin city centre.

He will take over leadership of the Church in June, for 12 months, and is the first moderator from the Republic of Ireland to be elected in almost a quarter of a century.