The Church of Ireland bishops' power to intervene in the Drumcree dispute has been overruled by one of the Church's most influential bodies. A report by the subcommittee on sectarianism says that legislation giving bishops the power to ban contentious services would not be supported within the church.
Canon Walter Lewis, a member of the sub-committee, yesterday explained the tradition within Anglicanism to opt for persuasion rather than coercion, should be adhered to.
