Extracts of a letter from a mystery priest made public yesterday by Ian Paisley make no reference to the clergyman recommending his flock votes for the DUP.
The North Antrim MP claimed on Sunday that the priest was “urging his parishioners to vote DUP because of the stance we take on social matters”
But the extract Mr Paisley shared with the media makes no mention of the priest’s congregation and how he would ask them to vote
The letter, dating from January this year, is understood to have been penned by a parish priest based in Mr Paisley's constituency.
The clergyman's letter thanks the DUP MP for his public support of a pro-life stance, adding "we are deeply grateful".
The letter he claims that for "traditional Catholics the south is now a cold house" and that therefore remaining in the north would be "preferable".
The cleric's sentiments are all the more extraordinary given the DUP's historical antipathy towards the Republic and all things Catholic.
Mr Paisley, who did not respond to calls from The Irish News, told Q Radio he was "pleased" to have received the letter and that he had replied.
"I'm grateful not only for this letter but for the other messages of support that we have received from right across the community," he said.
"This shows that there is a trend that the pro-life stance my party has taken is positive and is yielding results."
The North Antrim MP made the claim about the priest urging his parishioners to vote for the DUP after Arlene Foster said nationalists and republicans had been in contact to say they would support her party at the polls.
Mrs Foster, who on Monday told the Press Association she had received more than 100 emails and letters from disaffected nationalists and republicans, said many people were unhappy that Sinn Féin had backed the repeal of the Irish Republic's strict constitutional ban on terminations.
Today at Westminster MPs will take part in a three-hour emergency debate on the abortion law in Northern Ireland.
There was cross-party support for Labour MP Stella Creasy's call for a debate.
She told MPs that the impact of last month's referendum in the Republic had been "felt around the world" and had "thrown a spotlight on the situation in Northern Ireland".
Mrs Foster has insisted any change in the law should be a matter for the Stormont assembly, suspended for the past 18 months.
Sinn Féin will meet in Belfast next weekend where it is expected to support unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks .
The DUP leader acknowledged that there was also the potential for her party to lose voters who might back liberalisation in Northern Ireland.
"If the most important issue for you is the unborn then you will look at the party that reflects that," she said.
"For other people they will say that party doesn't reflect what I like in relation to the issue that is most important to me, so I will vote for someone else."
Sinn Féin accused the DUP of being out of step with public opinion on abortion.
Former Stormont junior minister Megan Fearon said her party's supporters would not be prepared to set aside years of "DUP disrespect and discrimination" to vote for the party because of its anti-abortion stance.
"I don't think nationalists will just overnight forget the decades of disrespect and discrimination from the DUP and others to just switch allegiances over a single issue," she said.
"I think our society has moved on a lot more than perhaps Arlene and the DUP realise."
If the priest who wrote to Ian Paisley, or any other members of the clergy, would like to speak about their views on this issue they can contact the newsdesk on 02890 337544 or newsdesk@irishnews.com
