THE Orange Order remained silent yesterday over the DUP's Simon Hamilton attending the funeral of Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness.
Mr Hamilton, a member of the Orange Order, attended the Requiem Mass in Derry on Thursday alongside party colleagues Arlene Foster and Peter Robinson.
The Orange Order forbids its members from attending Catholic Mass.
In 2011 the UUP's Tom Elliot and Danny Kennedy faced disciplinary proceedings for attending the Catholic funeral of murdered PSNI officer Ronan Kerr.
The Orange Order eventually decided not to discipline them.
Asked yesterday to clarify its stance on taking part in Catholic services and whether it had any issue with Mr Hamilton's attendance at Thursday's funeral, the Orange Order refused to comment.
DUP leader Mrs Foster was applauded as she entered St Columba's Church, Long Tower, for former deputy first minister Mr McGuinness's funeral.
The DUP was last night unable to clarify whether this was the first time Mrs Foster had attended a Catholic Mass.
In 2010 Mrs Foster did not attend the funeral Mass of Cardinal Cahal Daly in Armagh. Instead, she and party colleague Sammy Wilson arrived beforehand to pay their respects.
