Courtney McGrailLouise McCarthy
Parishioners at an Antrim church last Sunday were shocked by graffiti daubed on a nearby Protestant church calling for the release of a suspect in the murder of two British soldiers.
Massgoers at St Joseph’s Church, Greystone Road, arrived to see the graffiti on the walls of the Presbyterian Church, just across the road.
The graffiti said ‘Free Colum Duffy. Up the IRA,’ sparking disappointment from the Presbyterian and Catholic communities.
Fr Conor McGrath has been serving in the town for three years and, in this time, did not witness anything like last Sunday’s incident.
“Young people nowadays are not used to being exposed to this kind of thing. I definitely would not like this to be a pattern. The graffiti is very visible, with about 3ft lettering.
When the parishioners saw this, they went over to the Presbyterian church to express their sorrow.
“There is a good rapport between the Catholic and Presbyterian parishioners,” Fr McGrath said.
The minister of Greystone Road Presbyterian Church, Rev. Jonathan Moxen, was grateful for support received since the attack happened. He said: “We have been overwhelmed and encouraged by the amount of people from across the community and from neighbouring churches who have disowned this behaviour.”