The Orange Order has elected Irish Presbyterian minister Rev Mervyn Gibson to serve as the Grand Secretary of the Orange Order.This is in spite of, or maybe because of, his recent comments where he expressed a desire that members of the Orange Order would be allowed to attend The Mass without the threat of discipline.
Forbidden attendance
At present the Orange Order has a rule that forbids members to attend or take part in a Roman Catholic Mass. This rule is seldom applied as evidenced when the then Ulster Unionist Party leader Tom Elliott and the then Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy were not disciplined for attending the funeral of a murdered Roman Catholic PSNI officer, although a complaint was made against them.Rev Gibson when questioned, in an interview, about his own personal opinion of the rule stated that he would like to see the rule go.
His justification for doing so is that he believes his faith is strong enough to be permitted to attend the Mass.
