Holy Cross Church: Suspicious device found at church gates

 

The Crumlin Road has been closed between Ardoyne roundabout and Cambrai Street

A suspicious device outside a Catholic church in north Belfast may disrupt Mass there for the first time in nearly 150 years, a priest has said.

The Crumlin Road remains closed following the discovery of the device at the front gates of Holy Cross Church.
About eight homes in the area have been evacuated. The road is closed between Ardoyne roundabout and Cambrai Street.
The police said the road was likely to remain closed for some time on Tuesday.
Fr Gary Donegan said that Mass at the church had not been disrupted during the Troubles in Northern Ireland but it looked like 10:00 BST Mass would not go ahead.
He said: "We're here since 1869, it will probably stop Mass happening here for the first time. So I think: 'Shame on you'."
"I don't know what their motive is behind any of this kind of behaviour," he said.
"At the moment, all they have managed to do is prevent, should there have been a sick call or an emergency, the priests from leaving the monastery here."
'Cut off' Fr Donegan said priests could not get in or out of the grounds.
"We're completely cut off at the moment," he said.
"We have major renovation work going on and we would be expecting the workmen to arrive here in the next half hour, but their day is going to be disrupted.
One family, who was moved out of their home, spent the night at Ardoyne community centre.