THE Democratic Unionist Party has strongly supported the rector of Drumcree parish church, the Rev John Pickering, who has rejected calls to prevent Orangemen attending their annual service there next July.
Mr Pickering recently received a letter signed by 160 Church of Ireland clergy asking him not to allow the Order to use his church. The letter was sent by the ecumenical Church of Ireland group, Catalyst.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said Mr Pickering must be congratulated for his principled stand. "No man has the right to call for a church to be closed. It is a sign of just how far the authorities would go to silence Protestantism and rob us of our very right to worship. Well done, Rev Pickering. You are an inspiration to those who believe in the doctrines of the Reformed faith and in freedom of worship."
Dr Paisley said: "It amazes me that throughout the past 30 years of troubles, the same ecumenical bunch who are so noisy against the worship of God by Protestants today were so silent at the insistence by the Roman Catholic Church to permit IRA funerals to take place at Catholic places of worship."
The DUP Assemblyman, Mr Sammy Wilson, accused those who signed the letter of wanting to curry favour with the authorities. "Clearly there are those within the Church of Ireland who value their invites to Stormont and Hillsborough Castle for meals with the Secretary of State and the great and the good over the freedom of the individual to worship."
Mr Wilson said the Church of Ireland had long been opposed to freedom. "For centuries, as the established church, the bishops supported the denial of rights to Presbyterians and other dissenters." However, the Alliance Party described the Drumcree rector's decision as "deeply disappointing". Its president, Dr Philip McGarry, said the Order should have ended its protest after the death of RUC Constable Frankie O'Reilly last week.
He said many members of the Church of Ireland were disgusted at the activities of the protesters which were having a detrimental effect on Portadown. "The tourist industry and much of business has already written off the first two weeks of next July because of the likely effect of Drumcree Five," he said. "It seems that the whole community is going to continue to be held to ransom because of the failure of the Orange Order to engage in dialogue or respect the rule of law."
Sinn Fein urged Mr Pickering to listen to his fellow clerics in the Church of Ireland and also enter into discussions to resolve the Drumcree issue. A party spokeswoman said: "Dialogue is best served by taking place in an atmosphere free from intimidation and violence. Rev Pickering can contribute to achieving such an environment by taking a leading role and banning the Orange Order from holding the rest of the community, in Portadown and beyond, under siege from his church at Drumcree."