NI bishop calls on young people to reject violence during parade

IN ANTICIPATION of a Twelfth of July parade through the Ardoyne area of Belfast today, the Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor has appealed to “all young people not to be drawn into the misery, futility and inhumanity of violence”.

In the statement, which were read at Masses in Holy Cross parish, Ardoyne, at the weekend, he continued: “I ask you to choose a better way by working for a brighter future for yourselves and for all the people of this island.”

He asked that “only words and actions be used that advance the immense progress in community relations and quality of life from which all have benefited in recent years.

“With other Christian communities in the area I ask you to do all in your power to ensure that the coming days are marked by good neighbourliness, an emphatic rejection of violence and a commitment to the common good.”

Bishop Treanor will be in Lourdes over coming days where he is leading 700 people from Down and Connor on the annual diocesan pilgrimage there.

“During that time my prayers will be united with those of the Christian communities of Ardoyne and the surrounding area for a peaceful resolution of tensions over parades on the Twelfth of July,” he said at the weekend.

“That the recent ‘Tour of the North’, and other parades, passed off peacefully gives us grounds for hope. This is testimony to what can be achieved when individuals and communities approach each other with dignity, respect and a determination to reject the violent approaches of the past.”