Des Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | Francis Desmond Wilson 8 July 1925 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Died | (aged 94) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | St Malachy's College |
| Known for | Promoting community-based education and enterprise in West Belfast; criticism of church hierarchy; facilitating republican-unionist dialogue |
| Occupation | Priest and community organiser |
| Senior posting | |
| Ordination | 1949 |
Francis Desmond Wilson (1925–2019) was an Irish Catholic priest and church dissident who in the course of the Northern Ireland Troubles embraced ideas and practice associated, internationally, with liberation theology. Active in working-class and Irish nationalist West Belfast, he defended the right of communities failed by the state to create “alternative education, alternative welfare, alternative theatre, broadcasting, theological and political discussion, public inquiries and much else”. More controversially, he did not condemn paramilitary groups when they presented themselves, in his words, as “alternative police and alternative armies”.[1]
Sanctioned by his bishop, from the mid-1970s Wilson supported his community ministry and engagement with writing, broadcasting and lectures, including in the United States where he promoted the McBride Principles for American investment. Alongside Fr Alec Reid, from the 1970s he facilitated discussions between republicans and loyalists, contacts which have been credited with helping prepare the ground for the Northern Ireland peace process.
Legacies of his community work in west Belfast include his contributions to the establishment of Springhill Community House, the Conway Education Centre and Conway Mill Community Enterprises.