The Department of Education have launched a consultation process to ascertain the views of parents as to how Catholic schools, when they are the only one in a given area, should become more ‘inclusive’ towards children from other religions and none.

A leaflet will be sent to parents and it draws on the recommendations, published last year, by the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism. The leaflet, which is supposed to be canvassing the views of parents on this sensitive issue, is very leading.  

For example, it has as its main focus the rights, not of parents who wish to see the Catholic ethos of their children’s school preserved, but of those parents and children who are discomfited by that ethos.

The leaflet does not emphasise the right of a school to have its own distinct ethos. It does not refer to concerns that what would make a school more ‘inclusive’ would also greatly water down its ethos.

Instead it  talks about the need for Catholic schools to “adapt” to and “cater” for non-Catholic pupils.

It mentions various of the recommendations of the Forum, but as we have said previously these recommendations amount to an attack on the ethos of Catholic and other denominational schools.

For example, the recommendation that Rule 68 of the Rules for National Schools be deleted, rather than amended, would seriously weaken the right of denominational schools to permeate the school day with their ethos.

The recommendation that displays of religious objects “ought not to be exclusive to any one faith or tradition but should have a balance, reflective of the beliefs of children attending the schools” would appear to mean that a Christian school could not display a Christian symbol, say a crucifix, on its own on its premises.

It even says that prayers should be ‘inclusive’. Would the ‘Our Father’ or the ‘Hail Mary’ pass this test?

In fact, it would appear that anything which would specifically mark out a Christian school as a Christian school is to be discouraged.

The report claims it is trying to uphold the rights of children and parents who do not belong to the faith of the school.

However, in the Lautsi judgement the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy can display crucifixes on their own on the walls of State schools and this does not breach the rights of non-Christians.

If this is the case with State-run schools, it is obviously much more the case with denominational schools.

The Catholic Church is going to have to ensure that any parents who receive the Department’s leaflet will also receive a leaflet giving the other side of the argument.