The Catholic Primate, Archbishop Seán Brady, has said that "any possible involvement of a priest, either directly or indirectly, in the Claudy bombing or in any other act of terrorism, brings distress, shame and grief to me and to all Catholic priests, and indeed to the whole Catholic community".
In a statement yesterday, responding to revelations about his predecessor Cardinal Conway's alleged involvement in a cover-up of a priest's role in the bombing, Archbishop Brady said "my first reaction to the possibility of any such allegation being true is one of absolute horror. My heartfelt sympathy is for the relatives of the victims whose grief has not lessened over time and must be intensified by the prevailing suspicion and speculation with respect to this shameful crime.
"This ultimately was and is a matter for the civil authorities and the police who at the time did not arrest or prosecute possible suspects.
"In order to enable the relatives of victims to find a degree of closure regarding this horrific tragedy, this is not a time for recrimination or more speculation, but for the truth.
" To that end and despite many of the protagonists now being deceased, the search for the truth must continue and every effort must be made to find answers to the yet outstanding questions. The Catholic Church will obviously fully co-operate in that search," he said.
Bishop Seamus Hegarty of Derry said "today the Claudy bombing of 1972 is foremost in our minds. The victims and their families are particularly in our thoughts".
