The President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Rev. David Turtle has expressed his sadness upon hearing of the death of Bishop Anthony Farquhar, who died on Friday evening (17th November).

“Bishop Tony’s warmth, love for people and immense contribution to the Ecumenical movement in Ireland will be very much missed. He attended the annual Methodist Conference on a few occasions and was always a positive and joyful presence with us.” he said. 

He was Chair of the Commission on Ecumenism of the Bishops’ Conference for many years, responsible for oversight of the Bishops’ ecumenical engagement as well as being a highly valued and respected member of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference for 32 years.

Bishop Tony served on the Irish Inter–Church Meeting committee for over 25 years. In addition to his commitment to inter–church relations and reconciliation on the island of Ireland, he was also appointed to the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), and the Dialogue between the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), as Roman Catholic Co–chairman.

In 2008 his ecumenical work was acknowledged on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of his ordination as Bishop in an ecumenical Festschrift – ‘Inter–Church Relations, Developments and Perspectives– a Tribute to Bishop Anthony Farquhar’, edited by current IICM Co–Chair Bishop Brendan Leahy. It included contributions from leading ecumenists in these islands and around the world including a contribution by Cardinal Walter Kasper. Cardinal Seán Brady noted Bishop Farquhar was “engaged actively in promoting bonds of friendship and understanding at times when it has been far from easy to do so”.

His involvement in sport – his beloved football - was demonstrated by his Presidency of the Queen’s University Belfast A.F.C football club as well as his patronage of the Irish Universities Football Union.

His unfailing dedication to ecumenism, his drive for increased unity between the churches, as well as his personal affection for his colleagues and the wider church body will be greatly missed.

Rev. David Turtle wishes to express his condolences to Bishop Farquhar’s sister Anne and wider family circle, and to Bishop Donal McKeown, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Down & Connor, and to all who knew and loved him.

ENDS