Looking to the future, however, Archbishop Eames said Northern Ireland "must move on".
"It must move forward. We must replace the community of suspicion with the community of trust. We must replace the community of suffering with the community of healing. We must replace the community of sectarianism with the community of generosity. We must replace the community of shouting with the community that listens. The prize we have endured so much to achieve deserves nothing less. The Peace Process demands much from everyone in Northern Ireland. There are issues to address for everyone. There are problems to face for everyone."
Archbishop Eames challenged the Churches in Northern Ireland and the Christians of all traditions in particular "to play their part in this new evolving situation".
"They have a key role in making sure the right questions are asked - and the right answers produced."
Addressing the Nationalist community, Archbishop Eames urged them to "avoid a community which carries resentment because of inequality or oppression" but also stressed that they needed to be part of the "shared future for us all" with reassurance of their future as equal citizens with equal opportunities to prosper.
The Unionist community, he said, had to stop leaning on the issue of the recognition of their constitutional position "to the denial of social justice or community fairness for others".
He also called on members of the Unionist community to "rid themselves the evils of inherited sectarianism towards their Catholic neighbours".
"I believe - despite the obstacles - there is now an unstoppable wave of genuine progress towards a stable and just society. We all must be a part of that wave - not a wave to ride on - but a wave to push ever forward," he said.
Key to this was trust, said Archbishop Eames, particularly in political dealings.
The Archbishop commended the Church of Ireland for withstanding divisions over the years and particularly its strength of unity which he said lay in its all-Ireland General Synod, a common liturgy, a common pattern for ordained Ministry and a "common acceptance of the nature of the Church".
