The Church of Ireland is both Catholic and Protestant. She values the reformation as a movement offering authentic renewal in the Church. Ours is a Reformed part of the Catholic Church. We are faithful to the Creeds; accept the authority of the early General Councils of the undivided Church and maintain the Apostolic Ministry of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. We are founded on Scripture, reborn through Baptism and fed and remade in the Eucharist.
The Church of Ireland before and after the reformation are part of a continuous stream. The tumultous evens of the sixteenth century were far from perfect but in them we see the activity of the Holy Spirit. The Church was recalled to a deeper fidelity to the Scriptures as containing ‘all things generally necessary for salvation’. It was an attempt under God to renew the Faith. We do not hold to the theological understanding of any one particular reformer or group but draw from many. We venerate the teachings of the Early Church.
Scripture and Tradition inform the mind of the Church. Reason, enriched by revelation, compliments these strands and applies fresh insights in changing circumstances. The Church of Ireland is a worshipping pastoral community involved in the world. We seek to live the fullness of the Catholic and Apostolic faith in a manner which issues a firm Evangelical challenge while embracing God’s world in love and forgiveness.