CHURCH leaders in the North have condemned the London bus bomb and expressed their sympathy for the bereaved and their families.
Their comments came as the final tally from the peace phone in poll, organised by the North's five main newspapers, was announced.
A total of 154,024 calls supporting peace were received between Friday and midnight on Sunday and the newspapers intend to send the results to leading figures, including President Clinton.
In his response to the bomb attack, the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames, said it "must not be allowed to influence in any way the ongoing search for a just peace. The attack illustrates the callous and cruel depths to which terrorists are prepared to go to strike fear into our lives. Let the people of the United Kingdom know that such cowardly attacks are utterly condemned by the people of the province".
The moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Dr John Ross expressed his "utter shock and revulsion at another callous bombing". His thoughts were with those who had suffered, he said.
Dr Ross appealed to loyalist paramilitaries "to continue to exercise restraint as retaliation would inevitably lead to a downward spiral of violence that the vast majority of people have demonstrated that they do not want. Those of us who are determined to find a way forward by peaceful means must not allow terrorism to deflect us from our purpose".
The moderator added "Terrorism cannot be rewarded. There is no place for it, no excuses should be made for it and no support given to it, tacit or otherwise. Continued violence only further destroys trust and creates further obstacles to be overcome by those working constructively for peace.
A support group for victims of terrorist violence, Families Against Intimidation and Terror, added its voice to the condemnation.
Its spokeswoman, Ms Nancy Gracey, said the violence was terrible in itself "but it poses a threat of a slide into civil war which is more terrible still. The IRA is quite simply attempting to take society by the throat.
"Governments and politicians must be prepared to talk and make compromises. They must also be prepared to take whatever security measures are necessary to stop these killers in their tracks.
