On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, Leader Mike Nesbitt MLA has expressed sorrow at the passing of Father Alec Reid.
"Of course, the image of Father Reid at the murders of Corporals Howes and Wood in 1988 is one of the iconic pictures of the entire Troubles. But it is what he did privately that history will record as his contribution to peace.
"He sometimes said things that upset Unionists, occasionally had to apologise for his comments, but I do not doubt that he was sincere in working to end the violence on our streets and managed to command the attention of key politicians and civic leaders at a time when Northern Ireland was rocking from a series of brutal atrocities."