A County Armagh parish priest has praised the vigilance of his parishioners in preventing their local church from being burned down in the latest of a series of incidents at churches in Northern Ireland. Fr Sean Larkin said the quick-thinking of neighbours, when they saw flames and smoke coming from the grounds of the Good Shepherd Church at Cloughreagh, and the speedy response of the fire service who quenched the blaze before it could spread to the church itself, had prevented a disaster.
Vandals had smashed a window of the building and set alight a large tree adjacent to it. Fr Larkin said that it was the latest in a number of incidents of late in which the church has been damaged by people who use the grounds for drinking sessions.
He said evidence of alcohol consumption was found at the scene of the fire and added that his parishioners have “had enough.”
"People are shocked and disgusted at this attack, and we are counting our blessings that the church was not damaged," he said. "Nothing seems to deter these people - we put up CCTV cameras but they just pull their hoods up.”
“It's a terrible shame because it means that when the church isn't in use, it has to be locked, and so local people can't visit the Blessed Sacraments," Fr Larkin remarked. He said local church leaders would be arranging a meeting with PSNI to discuss the situation.
The incident is the latest in a spate of low-level sectarian and vandalism incidents at churches in Northern Ireland.
Two month ago, a temporary pre-fabricated church in Lurgan that is being used for worship was broken into and damaged.
Parish priest, Msgr Aidan Hamill blamed “high spirits” for the incident and remarked that while security would be stepped up, the church was an “easy target” and “if someone is determined they will no doubt find a way in.”
In a more sinister incident, a window was smashed and an attempt was made to set fire to St Malachy's Church in Coleraine, Co Derry with burning rags.
Fr Gregory Cormican said that the incident was “not a good reflection of community relations in Coleraine" and explained that the building was sprayed with graffiti attacking the Pope and referring to Michael McDaid, a Catholic community worker who was attacked by loyalists after a row over republican flags.
In another incident in recent weeks, two small fires were lit at the entrance and inside the altar of St Comgall's Church in Bangor, Co Down.
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