The Church of Ireland Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh Most Rev Robin Eames announced yesterday that he is to retire at the end of this year.
Concluding his presidential address at the opening day of this year's General Synod in Armagh yesterday he said: "I will be informing the House of Bishops next October of my wish to retire on 31st December this year. I am announcing my intentions today as this will be the last occasion I preside over the General Synod of the Church of Ireland."
Speculation at the general synod yesterday was that the Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev John Neill, is most likely to succeed Archbishop Eames, with Bishop Ken Clarke of Kilmore another possibility.
The next primate must come from among the remaining 11 bishops of the Church of Ireland, who will themselves elect the successor to Archbishop Eames.
Ordained a priest of the Church of Ireland in 1964, Archbishop Eames became Bishop of Derry and Raphoe in 1975 and was elected primate in 1986. He is the longest serving primate in the worldwide Anglican Communion. At 69, his retirement has been the subject of speculation for a number of years.
Reflecting on his 43 years' of full-time ministry, which also covered the entire span of the Troubles, he said that over those years he had seen "the heights of compassion and nobility as well as the weakness and evil of human character, the struggle to maintain normality and preach the Gospel imperatives in a society which was driven to the edge but always managed to keep going". He paid tribute to his secretary of 19 years Roberta Haffey for her "dependability and trust"; to his wife Christine and their sons Niall and Michael "for providing me with the stability and reassurance of family life and home"; and thanked his fellow archbishops and bishops, past and present.
Reminding all that he still had seven months remaining, he commented, "I haven't gone away you know!", before receiving a prolonged standing ovation from all delegates present.
The President, Mary McAleese, and the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last night paid tribute to Dr Eames. There were also tributes on his retirement from other church leaders. Mrs McAleese described him as a man who had made a profound difference to the religious, political and social landscape over the past two decades. Mr Ahern said Dr Eames had led his church with conviction, courage and wisdom and that his commitment to a better future for all people was "unwavering".
