CATHOLIC Primate Cardinal Seán Brady is to hold talks with the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG), a political group linked to the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), later this week.
Frankie Gallagher, spokesman for the UPRG, said the meeting at the cardinal’s residence in Armagh would be “groundbreaking” and “historic” because this is the first time such a meeting has been arranged.
A spokesman for the cardinal said he would urge the UDA to reject violence. It is not yet finalised who will be on the UPRG team. Some of the loyalist delegation could include one or more senior UDA figures, it is understood.
This meeting flows from a series of other ventures aimed at persuading loyalist paramilitaries to enter the political mainstream and to fully decommission. As part of that project, President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin have established a friendship with Jackie McDonald, the so-called UDA brigadier in south Belfast.
In recent months, Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward has regularly warned that the UDA, UVF and loyalist paramilitaries must decommission their weapons. There were concerns that the recent Real IRA and Continuity IRA murders of two soldiers and a PSNI officer could trigger loyalist reprisals. First Minister Peter Robinson recently praised the loyalist groups for avoiding retaliation.
Concerns about a continuing loyalist paramilitary threat, the dissident republican murders, decommissioning and drug dealing will be among the issues raised by the cardinal at this week’s meeting, according to Fr Tim Bartlett, secretary to the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs.
Fr Bartlett said the meeting was arranged following a request of a third party. “The cardinal believes in respectful engagement with others as the way of addressing fears and changing hearts. He is not naive. He realises this meeting may have little or no impact on the future activity of loyalist groups . . . but he is willing to listen carefully,” said Fr Bartlett.
Fr Bartlett said the cardinal was anxious to understand the concerns of loyalist communities.
“He wants to share with them the fears of the Catholic community about the continued existence of armed loyalist paramilitary groups.
“He will appeal to the UPRG to use its influence to encourage loyalist groups to reject the option of violence once and for all so that the children of this and future generations can live in peace,” he said.
Mr Gallagher said the meeting would discuss how to create conditions “where violence is a thing of the past”.
The UPRG would provide assurance to the cardinal that the UDA was managing the issue of weapons, he added.
