Father Martin Magill, the Parish Priest at St John’s Parish, Belfast, has spoken about the life of Lyra McKee at her funeral.
Ms McKee, an award-winning young journalist, was killed by indiscriminate fire as she observed clashes between police and New IRA dissidents on the Creggan estate in Londonderry on April 18.
The Priest said: “For those of us who follow Jesus, we believe that the shedding of his innocent blood on the cross was enough – in the words of the hymn: ‘the cross has said it all’.
“We don’t need any more innocent blood to be shed. The irony could not be more poignant when we consider the signing of the Good Friday agreement which was about ensuring there would be no more deaths like Lyra’s.”
The service of thanksgiving was held in the Church of Ireland’s St Anne’s Cathedral, a short distance from her north Belfast home.
He referenced the Beatitudes, saying: “The beatitude ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ is very timely. Many of us will be praying that Lyra’s death in its own way will not have been in vain and will contribute in some way to building peace here.
“Since Thursday night we have seen the coming together of many people in various places and the unifying of the community against violence. I commend our political leaders for standing together in Creggan on Good Friday.
“I am however left…
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