Religion, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland: Boundaries of Belonging Claire Mitchell (2006) [a small selection] Representation and

d Pronouncement As well as pro-actively negotiating with politicians and state actors, the Catholic Church also tries to provide leadership to their community through interpreting the political situation. On key issues the Church tries not only to reflect the views of its members but also to provide leadership and direction to them. Indeed, one of the most important roles the Catholic Church has played is in their interpretation of the relationship between Catholics and the Northern Irish state. Harris argues (1993) that in the 1920s, the Church's public statements took on a propaganda significance against the Northern Ireland and its government. Cardinal Thomas O'Fiaich in 1978 expressed his view that the British should withdraw from Ireland (as opposed to advocating reform, which had been the norm up until that point). This came under much criticism from loyalists, adding to the tensions, and from then on statements from the Church hierarchy tended to be more vague (McElroy, 1991). But again, after the New Ireland Forum Report in 1984, the Church criticized the attitude of the British government. In more recent times, the Church has tried to stay on more neutral territory, balancing condemnation of violence with their role as a voice of the Catholic community. The Catholic Church's tendency to provide political guidance in Northern Ireland after the Good Friday Agreement is less prominent than during the eras of civil rights demonstrations and the hunger strikes. But it is by no means absent. The Church continues to make political pronouncements, speak up for its people, negotiate on their behalf and provide political direction. Dr Sean Brady, still Archbishop of Armagh, is perceived as an active figure in political life, and has been criticized by unionists for 'interfering' in the peace process. Whilst strongly supportive of the Agreement, the Church continually seeks to locate itself in the nationalist mainstream underlining Catholics' concerns about policing, decommissioning and demilitarization.