Cardinal denies he ousted men

CATHOLIC church leaders this week denied they pressurised two men into leaving the sanctuary of Newry Cathedral, where they had been taking sanctuary after being threatened by the IRA.
Clerics at the cathedral were said to be "angry and upset" at reports that they ousted the two men, David Madigan and Liam Kearns, at the end of their I 1-day stay in the sacristy. Church leaders maintained throughout the episode that the men would never be told they had to go.
Cardinal Cahal Daly, Primate
of All Ireland, said that
although local priests had become "concerned" at the effects of the activities of supporters on cathedral routine, the men had not been pressurised to leave.
"The clergy at the cathedral gave full access to the men's families. But they did become concerned that their supporters were coming and going in a way which was incompatible with the cathedral's role as a place of worship," said Cardinal Daly.
At the start of the men's stay, the cathedral authorities had permitted supporters and groups to visit the men in the sacristy. Earlier this week, however, this access was cut off.
Cathedral authorities said this was because the focus of the campaign had changed. "When the two men entered, they were claiming protection from the church against threats to their lives. As the situation has developed, however, the premises have been used as a faculty from which to plan and run a campaign by non-church groups," said a statement.
"The church authorities now take the view that the men and their families must choose between running such a
campaign and having the
protection of the church."
Mr Madigan and Mr Kearns
left Newry Cathedral for a secret address where they hoped they would be safe from the "military action" the IRA had warned they would face if they remained in Northern Ireland.
Earlier a local priest, Fr Kevin Cullen, called on the men to deal with the IRA through an intermediary, saying this would be the only realistic way to break the deadlock.
Northern Ireland MP Enoch Powell said this week that nobody could be more effective than the Catholic Church in opposing the IRA. "The influence of the Roman church is so great that if they were thrown into the scale against the IRA, I don't believe the IRA could operate or sustain itself," he said.