THOSE WHO murdered Gerry Evans, one of the disappeared, had acted as “judge and jury, executioner and undertaker”, Cardinal Seán Brady said at his funeral in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, on Saturday.
Mr Evans, who was 24, disappeared while hitch-hiking outside Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in 1979. His remains were found buried in a bog at Carrickrobin in Co Louth in October after a 16-month search.
It is believed he was killed by the IRA in south Armagh, although the IRA has never admitted the murder. He lived close to Charlie Armstrong in Crossmaglen who went missing in 1981 and who is also believed to have been murdered by the IRA. Mr Armstrong’s remains were discovered in July. On Saturday, Mr Evans was buried close to Mr Armstrong.
Cardinal Brady said there was a great sense of relief among the Evans family that Gerry’s remains were found. “Our first reaction today is one of great sympathy for Mary and Noel and Tom and Seán for the great crime committed against a brother and a son, for the great wrong that was done to them,” he said at the funeral Mass in the Church of St Patrick, Crossmaglen.
“Our sympathy is also tinged with great admiration for the fact that they never lost hope that Gerry’s remains would be found one day and given proper burial.” Cardinal Brady added: “Along with that there has to be great anger and even sadness, great fear and pain perhaps, at the thought that we live in a society where certain people took upon themselves to play God with regard to the life of Gerry Evans.
“They took upon themselves to be judge and jury, executioner and undertaker. What arrogance. What appalling wickedness. I just want us all to try and take on board the enormity of it. Then each one of us will determine, hopefully, to do all in our power to ensure that something similar never happens again.
“God alone is the lord of life – from its beginning to its end. No-one can, under any circumstances, claim for himself, the right to directly destroy an innocent human being.” Cardinal Brady in his homily also prayed for Mr Evans’s killers. “We are moved to do so because we believe in Christ’s victory over sin,” he said.
He said the hundreds of people who attended the Mass were there in union with Mr Evans’s sorrowing mother, Mary and with his brothers, Seán, Noel and Tom.
The Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains almost gave up the search after 16 months but made one last dig when given additional information by a republican source. Noel Evans told mourners he was grateful information was supplied to help find his brother’s body and appealed to others with information about the disappeared to come forward.
