THE Bishop of Derry, Dr Hegarty, has urged the creation of an international commission to evaluate marches in the North.
In a homily preached in St Eugene's Cathedral yesterday, Dr Hegarty also said the time had come for citizens to demand from the British government their right to protection and security.
He said: "Never again must we allow our community to be plunged into a further spiral of violence. Never again must we tolerate any actions by individuals or groups which will place security, harmony and peace in jeopardy."
It was not sufficient to sit back and hope for the best. As a first step, the public was entitled to a full and impartial assessment and evaluation of recent events by establishing the relevant facts.
This would best be done by an international commission which could also evaluate the marching phenomenon as a whole and make recommendations.
"In a normal state such would not be necessary," he said. "Ours is not a normal state because of many circumstances too well known to all of us. For that reason, an international commission would have a valuable role to play.
"We could expect a transparent and impartial evaluation of marches since another international commission has already shown itself to be very effective in other areas of the life of Northern Ireland in recent times."
While it was legitimate for Catholics and Protestants to remember their heroes and celebrate their past, it was important for both communities to do so in a way "which does not lock us into the past or imprison us, psychologically or culturally", said Dr Hegarty.