Primate repeats IRA disband call

Dr Brady said there was no need for violence in a democratic society

The IRA must end "its continued armed existence," the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland has said.

The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Sean Brady, made the comments in a newspaper article to mark the 10th anniversary of the first IRA ceasefire.

Dr Brady also urged the DUP to talk directly to Sinn Fein and called on unionists to show respect for the Catholic Church and its leaders.

He wrote in the Sunday Business Post that much had been achieved since the 1994 IRA ceasefire but more needed to be done.

The Archbishop said that while people have come to know what it is like to live free from the constant threat of violence, there have also been setbacks.

The Catholic Primate said the politicians and paramilitaries must now be prepared to make the first move, "not out of a position of weakness, but as an expression of self-confidence and a willingness to inspire the confidence of others in return".

'Excuse'

In the article, he urged the IRA to remove "what has been described as the 'excuse' of its continued armed existence from the current political context".

He said he would be disappointed if such a move was not met by an equally positive response from loyalist groups, unionist parties and the British government.

Dr Brady indicated that the DUP should talk directly to Sinn Fein and said many Catholics needed reassurance that their church and its leaders would be treated with respect.

The Archbishop also said nationalists and republicans could do more to re-assure unionists that they will treat the Protestant identity and culture, including the tradition of marching, with a similar respect.

He said issues from the past have to be addressed and he repeated his call for a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.