THE Catholic primate, Dr Sean Brady, and the Church of Ireland primate, Dr Robin Eames, have spoken of the "yearning" for a change of heart on both sides in the Northern conflict.
"Hatred and anger nourished on the memory of ancient wrongs are powerful enough to sour and embitter us for life," said Dr Brady in his Easter message.
"We long for a world that is safe and peaceful."
Dr Eames said in his Easter message that "fresh hope and new confidence in the future are desperately needed in our community".
He referred to the paradox "for so many" of "the desire to cling to old familiar paths while also yearning for a fresh beginning".
Too often, he said, "it is those old familiar paths which have produced our divisions our animosities and our hatreds".
He appealed for "more men and women of vision who, can ask the question `why not?s'."
"Easter is a time when we realise that what we yearn for in the depths of our hearts actually could become a reality," said Dr Brady. "`Empty dreams', `pie in the sky', `sweet talk' may well be the comments of those who know so well the weakness of our condition," he said, "but at Easter we name the forces of darkness that are present in our world and in our lives, and we celebrate the victory of Christ over those forces."
Only the love of Christ, he said, "can move hearts hardened by bigotry and prejudices.
"Only the light of Christ can enable us to see ourselves as we really are ... and to see those who differ from us, whether in politics, culture or religion, as equal and precious in the sight of God."
Dr Eames said that "tragically" many lacked the faith "in ourselves and in each other" to step into the future "in new ways".
The courage to do so must be found, he said, adding that "the first steps are the most difficult". But out of small beginnings "the most unbelievable results" were possible.
In the North, he said, "we all long for a breakthrough in relationships which will remove the obstacles to a community at peace with itself".
He spoke of the longing for "a new sense of hope" which would bring "new certainty that we can put the darkness of the past behind us.
"We must find new confidence in dialogue," he said, concluding that dialogue did not mean "surrender of deeply held principle" but that "which allows us to understand each other better".
In his Easter address at St Columb's cathedral in Derry, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Dr James Mehaffey, described events at Drumcree last year as "a defining moment in our history".
But he warned against allowing "a Drumcree syndrome" to develop, which would "cast a long dark shadow over our thinking and paralyse our best efforts to reach understanding and agreement in our deeply divided society."
Behind everything in the North lay "a deeply spiritual problem," he said.
As individuals and as a community "our greatest need is for a spiritual transformation and renewal".
