‘Orange’ Protestant leaders meet with Irish Catholic archbishop

It was the first meeting of its kind between the archbishop, president of the Irish bishops' conference, and members of the Loyal Orange Lodge and the Royal Black Preceptory, two of the fraternities known for their summer parades through Catholic neighborhoods.

"Coming into a time when tensions often rise in Northern Ireland, the symbolism of such a meeting is a powerful one," Archbishop Brady said in a statement after the meeting. "In a divided society the temptation is always to remain among one's own people.

"The desire of the leadership of the Loyal Orders to come to Armagh today represents their willingness to go beyond the barriers of history," the statement said. "It represents a desire to explain the customs, principles and values of their organizations to leaders in the Catholic community. This is to be greatly welcomed.

"The openness that this gesture and this meeting represents is an important first step. People on both sides of our society, in local communities, need to be creative and generous in finding ways of reaching across the divide and reciprocating gestures of friendship and efforts at fostering understanding. It is ultimately at this local level that contentious issues will be resolved," the statement said.

While the Orange Order and the Royal Black Preceptory describe themselves as pious organizations that celebrate Protestant culture and identity, many Catholics perceive the two bodies as sectarian in nature. Critics say they are fundamentally hostile to the Catholic religion.

According to "The Qualifications of an Orangeman," the rules governing the all-male membership of the Orange Order, a member "should strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the church of Rome and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act of ceremony of popish worship; he should by all lawful means resist the ascendancy of that church, its encroachments and the extension of its power, ever abstaining from all uncharitable words, actions or sentiments, toward his Roman Catholic brethren."

Membership in the Royal Black Preceptory requires being "in good standing" with the Loyal Orange Lodge, plus rules such as being allowed only to marry a Protestant.

The most public manifestation of the Loyal Orders' activities take the form of parades, hundreds of which are held throughout the summer in what is known as the Protestant marching season. Most of these parades take place without incident but some, which pass through predominantly Catholic districts, are bitterly resented by residents, who see the parades as expressions of Protestant triumphalism over their Catholic neighbors.

Between 1995 and 2000, the dispute over the Orange Order's annual parade at Drumcree, near Armagh, led to some of the most serious street violence in Northern Ireland's history. In recent years, the most controversial of these parades, including the one at Drumcree, have been rerouted by the Independent Parades Commission, established as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to help find a lasting peace between Protestants and Catholics.

Following the rerouting of these parades, the Loyal Orders have shown greater willingness to seek mediation with Catholic residents.

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