Catholic churches in the diocese of Armagh are to appeal for information about people who disappeared during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and whose bodies have never been found, it was reported today.
The BBC reported that Archbishop Sean Brady — the Catholic primate of all Ireland — had ordered the appeal in response to a request from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains.
The commission has set up a confidential phone line and Post Office box number in the hope of encouraging people to come forward with information.
There are thought to be nine remaining "disappeared" from the Troubles, including British Army Captain Robert Nairac, who is believed to have been killed after going undercover in south Armagh in 1977.
Most are thought to have been killed by the IRA, though in some cases no group has claimed responsibility for their deaths.
Archbishop Brady has described the issue as "unfinished business from the Troubles" and says his appeal is not a political but a pastoral matter, said the BBC.
The appeal for information will be published on church noticeboards and parish bulletins in Armagh this weekend and is expected to be repeated in other Catholic dioceses in Ireland later this month.