Catholic estate lives in fear, bishop says

by Rita Wall
CATHOLICS are living in fear in Belfast, Bishop Cahal Daly of Down and Connor said last weekend at the funeral of Protestant Brian McKimm who -was shot dead by loyalist ;gunmen.
"Brian was a Protestant but murdered because he was walking home at night in a Catholic area, and was therefore assumed to be a Catholic," the bishop said. He pointed out that "in the perverted minds of the killers who lay in wait, the first person who walked past" was presumed to be a Catholic and therefore a legitimate target.
North Belfast, where the killing took place, has seen more murders in the past 20 years of the troubles than any other part of the city.
On the Ligoniel estate in particular, Catholics, the bishop stressed, "lived in fear. Few will venture out at night, particularly alone and on foot".
"Special efforts must be
made by security forces to protect this community," he urged.
Bishop Daly also condemned the IRA's "dastardly murder" of Protestant Kenneth Graham who was killed when a boobytrap bomb concealed underneath his car exploded.
The loyalist murder gangs were no more representative of the Protestant community than the IRA murder gangs are typical of the Catholic community, Bishop Daly said.