The Catholic Church and the Orange Order have moved to ease tensions over this summer's Glasgow marching season.

Senior figures in both organisations have issued statements suggesting they are ready to break an impasse over parades passing Catholic churches.

Local authorities are particularly concerned over a single Glasgow flashpoint, a church where a priest was assaulted during an Orange march last year.

Police have said it would take hundreds of officers to keep the peace at the church,  St Alphonsus.

Call It Out has said it will organise counter-protests for any proposed parade that passes a Catholic place of worship. And some local protestant orders have equally vociferously declared that they will not accept any "no-go areas".

Now Archbishop Leo Cushley of Edinburgh - once one of the Vatican's most senior diplomats - has said he sees no reason why Orange marches should not pass churches.

READ MORE: 'Political polarisation' fears over Glasgow's 2019 Orange marches

He told STV's Bernard Ponsonby: "Objectively that shouldn't be a problem. If it is done respectfully, I don't see where the problem is.

"If it is done to taunt your neighbour that's a different question but it is difficult for me to look into the hearts of everyone who is going past a church."

Archbishop Cushley also downplayed suggestions the Orange Order was anti-Catholic, telling Mr Ponsonby: "I see it as coming from another chapter in our history."

Responding to the comments a spokesman for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland said: “We welcome the positive comments tonight from Archbishop Leo Cushley.

“Roman Catholics, Protestants, and people from many other faiths and none, all live harmoniously in communities right across Scotland."

The Herald: Monsignor Leo Cushley who takes over at Catholic archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh on saturday from Keith O'Brien prepares in his robes at St Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh tuesday..

The Grand Lodge spokesman added: "This should mean that we can all share the same roads and streets as we each celebrate our own heritage and culture. We will certainly play our part in ensuring that our parades are respectful when passing any place of worship. 

“We look forward to a dialogue with the Archbishop, and the authorities, and it is our hope that we find a shared solution that demonstrates that it is perfectly ok to have different religious views and opinions, without the need for religious divisions and divides.”

There have been growing concerns that marching is being politicised with entrenched positions being adopted by some on both sides - but far from by all.

Some in the marching organisations have been stung by public hostility to their marches in recent weeks. Glasgow City Council, on police advice, has ordered organisations to re-route marches scheduled to pass St Alphonsus. Marchers sued the council - but lost.

READ MORE: Orange Order lose fight to stop rerouting of weekend loyalist marches in Glasgow

Some sources suggest differences of opinion within the Orange movement about whether they have made the right tactical choices over the saga.

Call It Out made it clear that it did not agree with Archbishop Cushley. Asked for its opinion, its Twitter account said: "We intend no disrespect whatsoever to the Archbishop but we very much doubt he has had much experience of anti-Catholic marches or has consulted the Catholic community across Scotland of their own experiences of these parades."

Dave Scott, of anti-sectarianism charity Nil by Mouth, said: ‘Archbishop Cushley is providing clear-eyed and thoughtful analysis of the situation and the statement in response from the Orange Order would suggest they recognise this and the need for genuine dialogue moving forward. 

He added: "It is crucial that all involved in this debate see each other as equals and show a willingness to act on the lessons learned from the events of the last 12 months."

Earlier Edinburgh University's Michael Rosie, a member of the Scottish Government’s Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism, said: "If the key problems are parade routes and timing then there are tangible, and resolvable, issues to discuss."