DUP advisor under fire over anti-Catholic remarks

A special adviser to a senior DUP minister in the North is coming under fire after an anti-Catholic outburst.

Wallace Thompson, an advisor to the Minister for Enterprise Nigel Dodds, has sparked controversy after calling the Pope 'the anti-Christ'.

The radical preacher says he would oppose a visit to the North by Pope Benedict and would never attend Mass as it is blasphemous.

SDLP Assembly member Dolores Kelly has described his views as "pathetic", while Sinn Féin has accused him of crossing a line that civil servants should not over-step.

Alliance Party deputy leader Naomi Long, meanwhile, says that, while people have a right to their personal views, they should be aware of the impact they have when expressed in public.