Ireland’s Catholic Bishops have said that moves to water down the place of religion in schools will have no effect on Church-run schools.

In a statement from the Bishops’ Council for Education, responding to Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan abolition of Rule 68 of the Rules for National Schools, the Bishops stressed:  “The Minister’s announcement concerning rule 68 does not change the teaching of religious education in Catholic schools.”

Under Rule 68, the status of religion in primary schools is afforded a protected position, but, as the Bishops point out, “the Catholic ethos of primary schools in Ireland is not based on the Rules for National Schools”.

Referencing a recent Department of Education paper – Advancing School Autonomy in the Irish School System – which was issued in December, the Bishops quote: “In all primary and post-primary schools, the school’s stated ethos (that is, the values and principles it promotes) is decided by the owners or patrons/trustees of the school and not by central government.”

The statement adds: “Faith schools exist because there are parents who wish to have their children educated in accordance with their religious convictions.  If the ethos of these schools is undermined then the rights of such parents are compromised.

“Catholic primary schools are embedded in parishes and local communities throughout the country.  All surveys demonstrate a very high level of parental satisfaction with the service provided by these schools.  Some recent comment on them is a caricature of their real contribution to Irish life.

“We wish to assure parents that the Minister’s announcement does not alter the ethos of Catholic schools and that this ethos will continue to find expression in all aspects of the life of the school.