‘Is Sinn Fein MLA at odds with RC church teaching?’

A spokesperson said: “The members of the Independent Loyal Orange Institution are surprised and puzzled by the recent statement in the press by Local MLA Daithi McKay with reference to the creationist exhibit at the Causeway Interpretative Centre at Bushmills.

“Surely he who professes to be a democrat and whose party claims to be democratic cannot deny the ILOI, another democratic organisation with strong Christian beliefs, the right to lobby for what they and for that matter the RC church believe to be the truth.

“There can only two reasons for his statement:

1. He is opposed to the creationist point of view thereby putting himself in opposition to the teachings of the Roman Catholic church and the faith practised by many of his constituents or,

2. He is merely mischief making and hoping to gain votes by attacking the ILOI.

“If his reason is as at 1.above and he opposes the creationist viewpoint then he should come out and make this known to all his constituents and also explain if this is own personal viewpoint or is it the position taken by the party he represents.

“But if he does believe in creationism then, rather than taking the ILOI to task for lobbying their views, he should be congratulating them on managing to lobby the National Trust to have the creationist exhibit at the centre.”