The Church of Ireland bishops in Northern Ireland have released a statement cautiously welcoming the implementation of the Patten recommendations announced by the Northern Secretary on Wednesday.
The clergy said they "recognised and sympathised with" the emotions of relatives of dead RUC officers but that it was necessary for the "whole community to move forward".
"Once parliament has debated the forthcoming legislation, we hope that a police service will emerge which can be supported by all sections of the community in ways which allow confidence, trust and involvement to be a reality," the statement concluded.