The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has appealed to those directly involved to engage with new determination to restore the institutions and processes of the Belfast Agreement.
The conference stressed the time for blame and recrimination had passed and constructive dialogue must be intensified and the precise problems of opposing positions confronted.
"The prize of peace is still clearly within reach and every effort should be made to ensure that the overwhelming desire of people in Northern Ireland for further political progress and for the restoration of devolved administration is met as speedily as possible. No one can be complacent about the danger of the continuing political vacuum."
Further progress can only come through the restoration and deepening of trust within the political process itself, the conference said. "It is important that those involved in the negotiations act consistently in a spirit of collective responsibility and genuine parity of esteem."