Bishop Seamus Hegarty has denounced the car-bomb attack on a Catholic police officer in Castlederg, Derry, this week as “an appalling act”, and labelled the perpetrators “isolated fanatics”.Dissident republicans have been blamed for the blast, which left the off-duty officer with serious leg injuries.
The officer was rescued by a member of the public who dragged him from the wreckage of the car.
Along with representatives of all faiths and parties in Northern Ireland, Bishop Hegarty said “an attack on the life and dignity of another human being is always, in our Christian culture, an attack on the whole community and an undermining of the rights of all.
“No ideological motive can ever justify the attack on the inalienable rights of another person,” Bishop Hegarty said.
“I invite these people to reflect on the evil of their act and turn away from violence.
“I encourage everyone in the community to use their time and energies to help build an Ireland where all can live in peace and harmony with one another.”
The Sinn Féin MP for the area, Pat Doherty, described it as an “absolute outrage”.
“We have moved on – there is no turning back to the old days,” he said.
Police have been warning for some time that rebel groups are trying to increase their activities.
In November, the Real IRA shot and wounded two Catholic officers in Derry and Dungannon.
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