Religious influence in schools

Madam, – In attacking the Catholic Church’s position on schooling in this country (Opinion, December 22nd), Fintan O’Toole sets…

Madam, – In attacking the Catholic Church’s position on schooling in this country (Opinion, December 22nd), Fintan O’Toole sets up and knocks down a number of straw-men. For example, contrary to his central assertion, there is no contradiction between the position the church takes now with regarding to schooling, and the one it took in the past. The view of Catholics has always been that parents are the primary educators of their children and that our schooling system must reflect their wishes insofar as is reasonably possible.

In the past the overwhelming majority of parents wanted a Catholic education for their children and so it made sense that the overwhelming majority of schools should be Catholic.

Today, it makes sense that our schools should become more diverse (although obviously not endlessly so) in response to the increasingly diverse wishes of parents. So there is no contradiction between the Catholic position today and 30 years ago.

The Catholic position also happens to be shared by the other major religions in this country.

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With regard to schools, Mr O’Toole should look to Sweden, beloved of secularists everywhere, which respects the principle of parental choice and does not favour a one-size-fits-all model. We should continue to do so as well.

– Yours, etc,

TOM O’GORMAN, Iona Institute, Merrion Square, Dublin 2 .

Madam, – As the Minister for Education has decided he has no responsibilities in relation to the management of our primary schools (Danny Haskins, December 23rd), the only way forward is to force his Government to adhere to the Constitution.

Article 44.2.2 guarantees that the State shall not endow any religion.

Article 44.2.4 specifies that children should be able to attend a school receiving public money without being obliged to attend religious instruction at that school.

When the Catholic Church controls 96 per cent of all State-funded primary schools, when those schools are awash with Catholic religious symbolism and when the church's stated policy on education includes the following: "This [the Catholic faith] is not simply the subject-matter of particular lessons but forms the foundation of all that we do and the horizon of all that takes place in the school" (2008 pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops in Ireland entitled, Vision 08, A Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland), it becomes apparent that the Constitution is being ignored.

The courts should be consulted immediately to test the constitutionality of the current arrangements for primary education in the Republic.

– Yours, etc,

SEAMUS McKENNA, Farrenboley Park, Windy Arbour, Dublin 14.