The four leaders of the Christian community of Northern Ireland welcomed the new agreement reached yesterday by Ian Paisley, leader of the hard-line Protestant Party, and Gerry Adams of the “Sinn Fein”, the party that represents the IRA. "An important and extremely welcome step in the pursuit of s stable future for Northern Ireland”, this is how the epoch-making meeting has been defined by the leaders of the Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist Churches.” “"Along with many others, our Churches have encouraged for a long time the politicians of our region to work towards a local government for Northern Ireland, and we are sure this will materialise today”, they said in a note signed by the archbishop Sean Brady, president of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference, by David Clarke, chairman of the Presbyterian Church, by archbishop Alan Harper, primate of the Anglican "Church of Ireland", and by Ivan McElhinney, president of the Methodist Church. (continued)” “
