A Church of Ireland canon has called on the church's hierarchy to ban the Orange Order from holding its annual service in Drumcree Church in Portadown, Co Armagh, next year.
Canon Charles Kenny said the church needed to show leadership on the issue. He had hoped the General Synod's standing committee would have made a statement on the matter by now. He called on the church to make its position clear by releasing a statement outlining its position now. Canon Kenny is a leading member of the ecumenical group Catalyst.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times has reported that the Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, is likely to ban Orangemen from attending services at Drumcree church. The report claimed the ban would be introduced unless the order gave an explicit guarantee not to stage a protest if it was prevented from marching on the Garvaghy Road after its service.
Orange Order spokesmen have said they would refuse to give such an assurance. Dr Eames is expected to address the matter in a speech at the Armagh diocesan synod next week. The Church of Ireland could not be contacted for comment last night.