Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said the provision of greater choice in Irish schools is taking too long. Speaking on the ongoing project to divest Catholic schools, the prelate said: “The demand for Catholic schools is strong. The demand for other forms of patronage is growing. The process of diversification is still too slow. We live in an era of change. It is no time for believers to sit and bemoan or to be side-lined into the irrelevant. Believers must regain confidence and courage to face new things in new ways…It is time for tolerance and respect for diversities.” He added: “A pluralist society has every day to learn what being pluralist means and how we communicate while maintaining the language of our dearly felt values.” The Archbishop insisted that “Catholic schools have played and continue to play a vital role in the educational context of this country, and will continue to do so in the future.”
