THE leadership shown by Bishop James Mehaffey as a Church leader in Derry was vital in helping the city come through some of its darkest days.
Bishop Mehaffey came to the city at the height of the Hunger Strikes.
It was a time of daily violence and murder, a time of unprecedented polarisation, a time when Derry was a broken city.
As Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, he attended the funerals of more than 30 people killed by the IRA.
Despite that, and at a time when many others were content to remain in their trenches, Bishop Mehaffey stretched out the hand of friendship and reconciliation to his nationalist and republican neighbours.
His personal friendship and chemistry with his Catholic counterpart, the late Bishop Edward Daly, was crucial in the battle to retain and defend the middle ground, to ensure Derry did not slip over the precipice into all-out sectarian war.
The two Church leaders helped create the circumstances in which the moderate centre could survive.
Much of what the two men did was welcomed with open arms by a city keen to retain its reputation as a place of tolerance.
Their ecumenical approach to worship, the establishment of the Two Cathedrals’ Festival and the development of the Inner City Trust to restore bombed-out buildings was all ahead of its time.
However, it should never be forgotten that Bishop Mehaffey took risks to extend the hand of friendship at a time when few others were doing so.
His realisation of the importance of gestures helped in no small part to make Derry a crucible of hope in the emerging peace process.
Some gestures such as his decision to support League of Ireland football club Derry City by attending games at the Brandywell were not well received by all in his own congregation.
However, they did help create an atmosphere for discussion and negotiation to flourish.
When President Bill Clinton visited Derry in 1995, then SDLP mayor the late John Kerr said in his welcome speech: “Derry declared for peace a long time ago”.
The reason for that was in great part down to the Christianity, foresight and courage of James Mehaffey.
