ECUMENISM AND DIALOGUE
The meeting between the Protestant leader of Northern Ireland’s radical DUP party and Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Primate of the Irish Catholic Church, ended on a positive note with a handshake between the two. The meeting can be considered historic, because it could lead to negotiations for a deal between the DUP, the most radical Protestant Unionist Party, and Sinn Fein, the Republican political movement of Catholic stamp. If the two factions fail to reach a compromise by 24 November, the British and Irish governments have threatened to suspend any negotiation and postpone indefinitely the formation of a new power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein refuses at the present time to give its support to the Northern Ireland police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which for the first time has 1100 Catholic police officers among its members. This support, together with the dismantling of IRA and proof that the militants of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) have ceased any criminal activity, is the condition posed by Paisley for entering into negotiations with Sinn Fein. The next few days will be crucial in suggesting whether, by meeting Archbishop Brady, Paisley has taken the first step towards a new phase of dialogue. The Presbyterian minister, famous for his attacks on the Catholic Church, shook the hand of the Archbishop of Armagh and called his discussion with him “useful and constructive”. The Catholic archbishop said the same.
