THE former Catholic primate, Cardinal Cahal Daly, has said it would be an "understatement" to say that "the activities of the IRA at this time are reckless and irresponsibly dangerous".
Writing in the current issue of the Furrow magazine, the cardinal says that even within the IRA's own terms, its decision to return to violence "seems completely irrational". It is "certainly without moral justification and ... is politically inept and counter productive," he adds.
The decision had increased unionist fears and suspicions, which were directed particularly at the Irish Government, the SDLP, and the whole nationalist community "which they [unionists] seem unable or unwilling to distinguish from the republican movement".
The indispensable and urgent task for both governments "and more particularly for the Irish Government and for the SDLP" must be to address unionist fears and suspicions and, through serious and patient dialogue "to mitigate if not remove them", Dr Daly says.
Referring to the events at Drumcree last year, Dr Daly feels "it dispelled many comforting illusions. It shattered what now looks like our complacency." Many in the churches had genuinely thought that sectarianism was lessening, but were "dismayed" to find how little progress had been made at grassroots level and at "how deeply ingrained sectarianism still is in Northern society".
There are still "positive things" to be noted, however, Dr Daly says. These include the courage of Mr James Currie, Mayor of Ballymena, and "even more strikingly" of the new Grand Master of the Orange Order, Mr Robert Saulters, in the stance the he took on the "deplorable events at Harryville".
There is also the "remarkable courageous, editorial" in the Belfast News Letter calling for an apology from Britain for Bloody Sunday, and "the equally courageous" public support for that call from Mr Ken Maginnis, who had also taken "a brave and principled stand" on Harryville.
Dr Daly says he believes the British government should seriously consider making new efforts to engage Sinn Fein "in some kind of communication". Noting Sinn Fein's call for "confidence building measures", the cardinal suggests the party might begin themselves by ending punishment beatings, which he describes as "quite simply barbaric". Sinn Fein and the IRA should also reflect on "the harm and the hurt, the grief and the heartbreak, the fear and the loathing" which their campaign has inflicted and continues to inflict on the unionist community.
"The greatest contribution, however, which the republican movement could make to confidence building between the communities would be by reinstating the ceasefire, Dr Daly says.
