The chairman of the Church of Ireland's committee on sectarianism has said it will have to consider giving bishops powers to intervene to prevent church services leading to violent disorder.
Archdeacon Alan Harper said he would be asking the committee, which was set up after the 1996 Drumcree confrontation, to "look again at bringing in legislation to give reserve powers to the bishops to intervene in cases of politically contentious acts of worship which involve or might involve serious public disorder".
In its interim report at last May's General Synod the committee recommended that only the bishops' moral authority should be used to try to put pressure on the local select vestries which are the ultimate decision-makers in local churches.
Yesterday, the Church of Ireland body, which owns most of its property, said it had not granted permission to the Orange Order to occupy or use church property at Drumcree.
The Representative Church Body, which is the legal owner of the Drumcree church, the rectory and the rectory fields, said "the use of church property for political purposes, demonstrations or violence is unequivocally deplored and condemned.
"We condemn utterly all sectarian attacks on people and property in Northern Ireland and particularly the vile murders at Ballymoney. We call on the Portadown District of the Orange Order to cease using, and to end their occupation of, church property forthwith."
The Representative Church Body said the Drumcree parish hall, which has been used as the effective headquarters of the Portadown Orangemen during the standoff, was owned by "local trustees".
A church spokesperson said yesterday that at the request of Drumcree vestry, the Orangemen had vacated the hall yesterday. She said two church-owned fields next to the rectory which the Orangemen had forced their way into had also been vacated.
Meanwhile, the Presbyterian moderator, Dr John Dixon, expressed his admiration and support for the "courageous stand" of the Orange chaplain, the Rev William Bingham.