Belfast priest Fr Alec Reid has apologised for comments he made yesterday likening the treatment of Catholics by unionists to how the "Nazis treated the Jews."
Fr Reid, who was one of the independent witnesses to the recent decommissioning of IRA arms, made his comments at Fitzroy Presbyterian church in Belfast where he and the other witness, former Methodist president the Rev Harold Good, spoke to about 200 people about the decommissioning process.
Belfast priest Fr Alec Reid
Fr Reid apologised for his remarks saying: "I found myself being strongly provoked and offended by many of the comments which were being made about my integrity and my church. In the heat of the moment I lost my temper," he said.
His initial comments were made following claims by Willie Frazer of the victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (Fair) who suggested there was no reason to believe Fr Reid, from Clonard Redemptorist monastery in west Belfast, where "weapons were fired and where priests at funerals had spoken about IRA heroes".
Fr Reid then said there would have been no IRA but for the way unionists treated nationalists and added: "They were treated almost like animals by the unionist community. They were not treated as human beings . . . they were treated like the Nazis treated the Jews."
The Rev Harold Good accepted Fr Reid's subsequent apology, saying he was disappointed by the comments but accepted his explanation.
The Methodist minister said: "It was said in the context of a very heated moment within this meeting when some things were being said about him personally, about his church, about Clonard (monastery).
"Allegations that were quite unfounded and unsubstantiated, which were very hurtful and dangerous, were being made. In the heat of that moment Fr Alec reacted in a way that I know from what he said to me later he regretted the way in which he put it."
"I sincerely hope that Fr Reid's unqualified apology will be heard and accepted and that this incident will not be allowed to overshadow the significance of the decommissioning which was overseen by Alec Reid and myself.
A number of audience members left the meeting in protest, including Mr Frazer who said he was incensed by the priest's remarks.
"I did fly off the handle but I could not sit there and allow him to accuse the unionist people of persecuting the Roman Catholic community for the last 60 years. That is far from the truth," Mr Frazer said.
Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds said Fr Reid's comments were offensive and went beyond President McAleese's remarks.
"By branding an entire community as Nazis and slandering Protestants as treating Catholics like animals is outrageous," the North Belfast MP said.
UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said the comments were "almost racist" and claimed they destroyed Fr Reid's credibility as a witness.