Last Saturday night's petrol bomb attack on the Church of Ireland Church in High Street, Newtownbutler merits condemnation from all sides.

It is outrageous that, 10 years on from the Good Friday Agreement and all that that engendered, that anyone could take pleasure in desecrating a place of worship. It was the second attack on the building inside a week, and, given the nature of this assault, a more sinister motive now looks likely.

What is badly needed from a community at a time like this is a unanimous condemnation lest the perpetrators think they have a green light to repeat their despicable performance. That means leadership and, sadly, for whatever reason, that has not been publicly shown by the Nationalist community.

There have been other incidents, road tragedies, etc where the Nationalist voice has been loud and strident. In this case, not a whimper.

The silence within the Nationalist leadership - and their opinions should not have to be solicited - hardly gives solace to the minority community who are naturally upset. It is never too late for those who have been silent to speak out. Of course, they could still use their influence, but a golden opportunity has been missed to fire a warning salvo.