Church to appeal on Disappeared

Police carried out searches in remote areas of the Republic

The Catholic Church has agreed to help in a fresh appeal for information on the location of bodies of people killed and secretly buried by the IRA.

Archbishop Sean Brady said he had received the request for help from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains.

The appeal will be published on church notice boards and parish bulletins in the archdiocese of Armagh this weekend.

Other dioceses will take part in a similar appeal later this month.

Nine people murdered and secretly buried by the IRA during the 1970s became known as the Disappeared.

The remains of four have been found, the latest in 2003.

IRA members involved in the killings have previously visited burial sites with a forensics expert.

'Support'

In a letter to Archbishop Brady, the commission urged anyone with information on the location of the bodies to use the newly-created confidential telephone number or PO box address.

Archbishop Sean Brady said said he was happy to support the commission's appeal.

"The families of the Disappeared ask for nothing more than the return of the bodies of their loved ones so that they can bury them with dignity," he said.

The commission, which was set up in 1999, said its work was strictly non-political and was solely concerned with returning the victims' remains to their families.

In its letter the commission said: "This current effort is a real opportunity to end the harrowing ordeal for the families and with this in mind, the commission appeals to anyone who has any information on any of the cases to contact them now."

Earlier this week Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams called for anyone with information about the bodies to come forward.

He said he expected work to start this spring to implement the work of a government-appointed forensics expert.

Mr Adams said those involved must "have all the information possible to make their efforts a success".

The commission's confidential international telephone number is: 00800-55585500. The PO box address is ICLVR, PO Box 10827, Dublin 2.