PAISLEY PRONOUNCEMENTS

On Catholicism (1969): The Roman Catholic Church is getting nearer to communism every day

On confession (1957): I would go into the dark and damnable confessional, where my poor Roman Catholic countrymen entrust their wives and daughters to him, while the tyrant was pressing his odious and obscene investigation, putting the poor creatures on a moral rack till they sink with shame at his feet, I would drag the victims forth from his grasp and ring in the monster's ear - No Popery!

On the Irish Republic (1958): The dark sinister shadow of our neighbouring Roman Catholic state, where religious liberty is slowly but surely being taken away, lies across our state. . Not only have we this enemy without but we have a strong fifth column of sympathisers and compromisers within. The only effective answer to encroaching Romanism is a revived and revitalised Protestantism, believing the Bible, proclaiming the Bible and practising the Bible.

On Pope John XXIII after his death (1963): This Romish man of sin is now in hell.

On journalists (1966): They usually sport thick leased glasses, wear six pairs of ropey sandals, are homosexuals, kiss holy medals or carry secret membership cards of the Communist Party. Most of them are communistoids without the guts of a red blooded Communist, or Roman Catholics without the effrontery of a Pope Pins XII. Sometimes these anonymous editorial writers are a mixture of the two spineless, brainless mongoloids - but, because of it, as maliciously perilous as vipers.

On Cromwell: Thank God for Oliver Cromwell! I never go down into the House of Commons but I do give his statue a salute and say: "I wish you were down in that parliament today with that sword. I tell you there are a lot of fellows down there you could decap.

On reconciliation (1981): There's no such thing as reconciliation. When you marry Christ to Beelzebub, then we'll be ready for talks with them [the Republic's] government.

On himself: Show me a man of whom is said every evil and wicked slander. Shown me a man who becomes the recipient of wave after wave of condemnation; who is condemned out of hand, who is accused of the most outrageous of crimes, and I will show you a man whom God has commissioned, whom God has called, who God has sent to be a prophet to his generation.