Sir,- The murders of Ciaran Cummings and Gavin Brett, as well as the Ealing bombing, should open our eyes to the terrible abyss yawning at the feet of this society.
The assassins of Gavin Brett murdered a much loved and highly respected young man. They are also guilty of a profound act of violence against the hopes and aspirations of all decent people in Northern Ireland. Gavin was the victim of murderers who are the gun-toting expression of an extremist mindset in our community which is arrogant, belligerent, entrenched and supremacist. The bottom line in loyalist violence has always been pure hatred of Catholics and a downright refusal to treat fellow-citizens as equals.
Similarly, those who planted the bomb in Ealing fail to recognise that the old antagonism between London and Dublin is at an end. They desperately seek to keep alive ancient enmities. They are perpetuating a grotesque parody of true patriotism with their exultation in destruction and glorification of slaughter.
The vast majority of all people, North and South, voted in favour of the Good Friday Agreement. The politicians, therefore, have a solemn duty, before God, to implement the wishes of the people. As it stands, they are failing the people miserably.
It is so depressing and frustrating to witness the obtuse behaviour of certain political figures at present and to listen to their endless vacillations and childish recriminations. It is time for people on the street to demand that they find a solution to this problem.
Does the serious violence thus far, this summer, not awaken our politicians to the reality of what is at stake? God forgive them if they persist in their intransigence and cause the peace process to collapse.
What we need now is strong leadership and courage from politicians. The harsh reality is that we will be burying many more young people like Gavin Brett and Ciaran Cummings. We will have nothing to look forward to except more years of agony and bloodshed.
True Christianity is about conquering death and not being afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Mt 10:28). It is time now for real Christians, Catholic and Protestant, to take their stand together, once and for all. We need to silence the old battle cries and stand up to the warmongers with their sick rationale of sectarianism and hatred.
We voted for an equitable and peaceful future. The question is: do we really want a normal society? This is a time for sober reflection. It is time for people on the ground to make their voices heard. We must all do our part in building good relationships and improving our communities. - Yours, etc.,
Father Patrick McCafferty, Glenview Street, Belfast 14.