Dear Editor,

In your report on violence in Northern Ireland, “Protestants
Riot for 2nd Night in Belfast, Injuring 30 Police Officers”(
September, 12) you refer to the Orange Order as a “Protestant
men’s organization”. That’s a bit like saying the KKK likes to
dress in white.

The Orange Order is not only Protestant but it is also a
viciously anti-Catholic, supremacist organization whose job
is to keep uppity Catholics in their place.

” Anti-Catholicism”, is not about difference in faith and
theology, which by definition exist between different
religions(that’s why there are different religions). Rather,
Northern Ireland anti-Catholicism is a socio-economic –
political system for oppressing Catholics. In the past 30
years so many things have changed for the better in Northern
Ireland but , unfortunately, not that profound anti-
Catholicism.

Racism and sectarianism are two sides of the same coin.
They are the twin-evils of this world. And up until fairly recent
the British Government promoted both racism and
sectarianism in Ireland. And the Orange Order and many
Protestant political leaders still promote racism and
sectarianismŠAfter all, the Reverend Ian Paisley for years has
been the biggest Protestant vote getter in Northern Ireland
and his party, the Democratic Unionist Party, has become the
largest Protestant party in Northern Ireland. Paisley came to
power over the past 50 years by stoking the fires of anti-
Catholicism : by preaching that the Pope is the anti-Christ
and that Catholics must be kept at the back of the bus. And
for 50 years every time Catholics tried to go to the front of the
bus, Paisley and the Orange Order objected and took to the
streets, threatening, bullying and inflaming Protestant
sectarianism.

Americans should be the first to understand the situation
because they saw segregationist in this country practice the
same baneful tactics for many years, only then the excuse
was defending ” The Southern heritage”. The Orangemen are
out to defend the “Northern heritage”

Father Sean Mc Manus

President
Irish National Caucus
P.O. Box 15128
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20003-0849
202-544-0568 (office); 202-488-5865(home)