BBCThe Presbyterian Church in Ireland has raised concerns with Christian Aid over its position on “LGBT issues”.
Donations from the church to the charity could be reduced as a result.
Former Presbyterian moderator Rev John Dunlop criticised the move, saying the Church was getting “into a public row with one of the premier and respected aid organisations in Ireland and in the UK”.
Christian Aid told the Church it did not adopt “any policy or agenda on issues of gender identity and human sexuality”.
Christian Aid is a major charity which was first set up in 1945 by churches to help refugees in the aftermath of World War Two.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) donates to Christian Aid’s work through its annual world development appeal.
Half of PCI’s donations currently go to Christian Aid and the other half to the Tearfund charity.
What are the church’s concerns?
The Presbyterian Church raised concerns with Christian Aid about a document called Queering the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Christian Aid had helped develop the document, which was published by Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB) in 2023.
It aimed to help those working with lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer women in the aftermath of conflict.
But in a letter to Christian Aid the incoming PCI moderator, Rev Dr Trevor Gribben, said the document had “caused a great deal of concern among leaders and members of PCI”.
“The document promoted a theological position that is very significantly at odds with the stated position of PCI,” the letter continued.
Getty ImagesIn 2018, the PCI adopted a policy that meant anyone in a same-sex relationship could not be a full member of the Church.
Rev Dr Gribben said the document “had caused significant and potentially lasting damage to the relationship PCI has with Christian Aid”.
He said the Presbyterian Church’s council had also expressed “deep concern and regret” that the document was published by Christian Aid.
He said that had led to “a loss of confidence both in the judgement of some staff in Christian Aid and in the governance/management systems of the organisation as a whole”.
How did Christian Aid respond?
Members of the Christian Aid Ireland board wrote to Rev Dr Gribben.
Their letter said the Queering the Women, Peace and Security Agenda document aimed to identify “vulnerabilities and needs of people who may experience additional risk in situations of conflict for reasons of gender and sexuality”.
But they said it was not a formal policy document of Christian Aid and it had been removed from their website.
Why could the row affect donations to Christian Aid?
At their General Assembly in Belfast this week, members of the PCI voted to allow individual churches to decide whether their donations in 2025 should go to Tearfund or Christian Aid.
That changes the existing practice of the church’s overall world development appeal donations being equally split between the two charities.
But some senior members of the Church spoke out against the change.
The PCI said that from the 2024 World Development Appeal, Christian Aid Ireland and Tearfund would receive around £203,000 each.
What was the reaction?
Rev John Dunlop, a former moderator of the Church, told the assembly that “it’s exceedingly unfortunate that the church has decided to get into a row with Christian Aid in this the 80th year of their existence”.
“We have been there with Christian Aid from the beginning,” he said.
“We have decided to get into a public dispute which we have no need to get into.”
Meanwhile, Rev Dr Roger Purce, who is a former chair of Christian Aid Ireland, told the assembly that the charity had “listened, they acted” by removing the document from their website.
But church members voted in favour of a resolution to change the funding relationship with Christian Aid.
BBC News NI has approached Christian Aid for comment.
