CLERICS LEAD THE WAY

Posted by Jim on September 2, 2012

 A row has developed between Protestant church leaders and the  anti-Catholic loyal orders following Saturday’s Royal Black Institution  march in Belfast.

 

 Two senior Protestant clergymen branded the actions of loyalist bands  outside a Catholic Church during the march by the Orange Order’s senior  organisation as “blatantly sectarian”.

 

 Their statements mark a significant break between the Protestant  churches and the loyal orders over sectarian parades in the north of  Ireland.

 

 Fighting broke out and a full-scale riot was narrowly averted when  loyalist marchers and the PSNI police jointly ignored a ruling of the  Parades Commission through north central Belfast last weekend.

 

 The PSNI made no effort to prevent the highly controversial Young Conway  Volunteers (YCV) flute band from parading past St. Patrick’s Catholic  church at the corner of Carrick Hill and Donegall Street — contrary to  the determination of the Commission, which is supposed to be legally  binding.

 

 The YCV and other bands engaged in a number of deliberately offensive  and sectarian acts outside the church, to cheers from thousands of  loyalists who had gathered nearby.  Members of the bands and their  supporters roared sectarian abuse at the church and local Catholics.

 

 Bandsmen not only defied the Parades Commission ruling to play only a  single drum beat passing the church, but instead played even louder with  several playing ‘The Sash’ at the doors of St Patrick’s.

 

 The Shankill Road band had previously signalled its intention to ignore  the determination, issuing messages that they would “walk and play”.

 

 It had been banned from walking down part of Clifton Street and Donegall  Street after it played the sectarian Famine Song (while marching in  circles outside St Patrick’s Church) during the Twelfth of July events.

 

 Nationalist residents from Carrick Hill had a banner calling on the  loyalists to ‘Respect St Patrick’s’ ripped out of their hands, before  the loyalist mob surged forward and hand-to-hand fighting broke out.

 

 Presbyterian moderator, the Rev Roy Patton and Church ofIreland primate  ArchbishopAlan Harper described the behaviour of some of those involved  in the parade as “unacceptable”.

 

 “I think we would be very clear as a Church that such behaviour is  totally unacceptable and is not in keeping with the values that the  loyal orders espouse,” Mr Patton said.

 

 “As a Church we deem such behaviour to be unacceptable.

 

 “How can you expect your own cultural and religious beliefs to be  respected if you don’t respect those of others?”

 

 Archbishop Harper saidthere was “no defence” for the actions.

 

 “We recognise that people have particular issues, perhaps with the  Parades Commission, but this is not the way to deal with them andsuch  behaviour is inconsistent with any profession of Christian faith,” he  said.

 

 Whether or not the action were in defiance of the Parades Commission,  the outcome was “blatantly sectarian”, he said.

 

 “We’ve spent a long time examining sectarianism within our own Church  and we are very clear that sort of thing is not acceptable and is no way  to build a harmonious society.

 

 “That is wholly unacceptable to me and to the Church of Ireland.”

 

 Ultra hardliner unionist Jim Allister of the TUV launched a stinging  attack on the two churchmen.  They should not “attack the Loyal Orders  for doing something which they have done for generations without any  problems arising,” he said.

 

 But the SDLP’s Alban Maginness welcomed the leadership shown by the  Protestant church leaders.

 

 He said: “Hopefully people will listen carefully to the advice of these  pastors, and those unionist politicians who have refused to condemn the  blatant acts of sectarianism outside St Patrick’s will now reassess  their position and show some leadership.”

 

 PSNI ‘MUST EXPLAIN’

 

 As reaction continued to Saturday’s events, the Catholic bishop Noel  Treanor this week called on the PSNI to explain why “no visible effort”

 was made to prevent loyalist bands from defying Parades Commission  rulings during Saturday’s Royal Black Institution parade.

 

 Dr Treanor, the Bishop of Down and Connor, said he was “appalled by the  provocative sectarianism and insulting behaviour of some participants in  the parade directly in front of St Patrick’s Church.”

 

 He added: “That no visible effort appears to have been made to enforce  the lawful restrictions imposed on Saturday’s march will have caused  great surprise and concern to many and deserves to be explained by the  PSNI.”

 

 He also criticised an open letter signed by several high-profile  unionists, including First Minister Peter Robinson, which warned of  trouble ahead of the parade and called for the scrapping of the Parades  Commission.

 

 Meanwhile, Carrick Hill residents were praised for standing up to the  sectarian actions of the loyalist bandsmen by their parish priest,  FrMichael Sheehan of St. Patrick’s.

 

 He spoke of his shock at the bandsmen’s behaviour but said he was  “proud, elated and encouraged” by those “who stood tall in the midst of  such dreadful sectarian hatred and venom”.