The church of Ireland Archbishop, Dr Robin Eames, has appealed for calm in advance of tomorrow's contentious Drumcree Orange Order march in Portadown.
Dr Eames said yesterday that both communities had been frightened by the possibility of violence since 1995. "Those people are apprehensive of what the next few days will bring. I can understand those fears."
For the fourth consecutive year the Parades Commission has banned the march from proceeding down the nationalist Garvaghy Road. Last-minute proposals from Orangemen failed to overturn the commission's decision earlier this week. Dr Eames said it was imperative that a way forward was found in the standoff. "I believe that way will only come when we try to understand each other better, but above all else grasp opportunities as they present themselves to try to find a practical way of pushing this forward," he said.
He stressed that a solution would not be achieved through violence, intimidation or paramilitary displays, such as the UFF rally at Drumcree Parish Church on Thursday. "I want no protests short or long. I want no displays of violence," he warned those thinking of creating disturbances.
He sent his condolences to the family of the 19-year-old Catholic man shot dead by loyalists in Co Antrim on Wednesday. "Any life is a life too many and too much." Dr Eames said the new Orange Order proposals forwarded to the Parades Commission on Thursday were based on an initiative he proposed a year ago and reiterated in May. He said his input aimed to "encourage", not mediate.
The new proposals involved the setting up of a forum in Portadown involving representatives from all sections of the community to deal with local problems including the parades.
"It is my hope that the sort of movement that I detected as people tried to build on that initiative is something that under God can produce results ultimately. There is an answer to Drumcree, there is life beyond Drumcree," Dr Eames said.
He accepted it would have been "much more advantageous" if the Grand Lodge of Ireland had forwarded their document earlier, but the lodge's willingness to "see across the table" to the Garvaghy Road residents should be "built and banked on", he said. He added that it was understandable that Orangemen had subsequently withdrawn their offer when denied permission for a march this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Moderator, Dr Alastair Dunlop, also called for restraint and stressed that people should abide by the law. He expressed concern that the potential for trouble existed.
"Since in past years protests have got out of control and have resulted in intimidation and death and chaos across much of Northern Ireland, I would encourage people to restrain themselves from indulging in public protests about things that they do not like when those protests are likely to get out of hand and put unreasonable pressure on the security forces," he said.