Northern Ireland

Fr Gary Donegan: Stormont leaders stand with death threat priest

First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (right) with Fr Gary Donegan (left) at Stormont Castle in Belfast. Picture by Kelvin Boyes, Press Eye
First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (right) with Fr Gary Donegan (left) at Stormont Castle in Belfast. Picture by Kelvin Boyes, Press Eye First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (right) with Fr Gary Donegan (left) at Stormont Castle in Belfast. Picture by Kelvin Boyes, Press Eye

STORMONT'S leaders yesterday vowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with a north Belfast priest who has been threatened by dissident republicans.

Fr Gary Donegan, rector of Holy Cross Church in Ardoyne, and several community workers have been threatened.

First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness invited the cleric to Stormont Castle to offer their support.

"We want to stand in solidarity with him and indeed with all those who have been the subject of threats from faceless people in north Belfast," Mrs Foster said.

Mr McGuinness branded the threats "despicable".

He added: "The last person in the world they will intimidate is Fr Gary."

Fr Gary said he was "very humbled" by the gesture.