AS THE DUST settles on Ireland’s abortion referendum, consider this extraordinary irony. On 12 October 1988 the Revd Ian Paisley interrupted John Paul II’s speech to the European Parliament, noisily denouncing the Polish Pope as the “Antichrist”, before being ejected from the audience hall. Thirty years later and Pope Francis is preparing to visit Ireland – and the only major political party across the entire island which supports the Catholic Church on abortion and same-sex marriage is the Democratic Unionist Party, the political party Dr Paisley founded. It brings a whole new meaning to the unionists’ pet slogan, “Home Rule is Rome Rule”.