Church leaders in Ireland have welcomed Monday's historic agreement between Northern Ireland's main Protestant and Catholic parties to start sharing power on May 8.

The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Rev Ian Paisley, and the head of the mostly Catholic Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, set aside their decades-long hostilities and shared the same table to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement for Northern Ireland.

Church leaders in Ireland welcomed Monday's announcement in a joint statement, saying it represented "an important and welcome development in the search for a stable future for Northern Ireland".

The statement was signed by the Most Rev Dr Seán Brady, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh; the Rt Rev Dr David Clarke, Presbyterian Moderator; the
Most Rev Alan Harper, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh; and the Rev Ivan McElhinney, Methodist President.

Their Churches have long encouraged local politicians to work towards a devolved government for Northern Ireland. "We trust that this is now to be realised," they said.

MPs in London will vote on emergency legislation today to give immediate effect to the power-sharing deal. If it is passed, Government hopes it will be law by midnight.

The hope among the church leaders now is for a lasting peace: "We would encourage all to continue to pray for our whole community and our future together.
"It is important that everybody continues to build a country where all are valued, difference is respected and peace and harmony can flourish."