Church of Ireland Bishops meet with DUP
Following the meeting between a number of the Bishops of the Church of Ireland and a delegation from the DUP, the Bishops issued the following statement:
"Our meeting with members of the DUP is one of a series of meetings which we have held with political parties and it gave us the opportunity for useful dialogue at a time when the political process offers both opportunities and challenges.
"We raised a number of points in this meeting including the DUP's plans to engage further with the political process, their proposals to address issues such as economic regeneration, controversial social legislation and issues associated with the review of public administration.
"The Bishops expressed their hope that the DUP would continue a positive dialogue with the Church of Ireland. During the meeting, encouragement was voiced for ongoing engagement in the difficult process of building a robust and fair political framework for Northern Ireland.
The Church of Ireland Bishops to meet with the DUP included:
The Most Revd Dr Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland
The Right Revd Michael Jackson, Bishop of Clogher
The Right Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore
The Right Revd Alan Harper, Bishop of Connor
The Right Revd Ken Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore.
The DUP delegation included the DUP leader Ian Paisley, deputy leader Peter Robinson, party chairman Lord Morrow and Assembly member Arlene Foster.