The RUC was last night investigating an attack on a Catholic church in the mainly Protestant village of New Buildings on the outskirts of Derry. Three men wearing balaclavas burst into St Mary's Oratory as the local curate, Father Aidan Mullan, was preparing to celebrate evening Mass.
"I was standing at the rear of the church waiting for people to come to Mass when suddenly three men, carrying iron bars and bats, came in. I stood just a few feet from them as they smashed window panes and a statue. They never said a word. I feared for my own safety and backed off, but fortunately they didn't attack me.
"My church is attacked on an almost weekly basis. Hopefully it's just a few people who are dim-witted and thuggish," Father Mullan said.
