THE IRISH Human Rights Commission and those dismissive of religious belief and the Catholic ethos in schools were forcefully criticised at yesterday’s hearing of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector at the Department of Education in Dublin.
“There is a temptation in contemporary Irish discourse to dismiss religious belief as inherently irrational, divisive and anti-intellectual. Some go so far as to say that schools with a Catholic ethos cannot create a sense of civic virtue,” said Fr Michael Drumm, chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership.
Speaking on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Council for Education, he told a plenary session of the forum that “this runs completely contrary to the Catholic education tradition, which is built on a respect for faith and reason”.
He noted the question of human rights had arisen at the forum, particularly with regard to children whose parents wish them to opt out of religious education classes, and that the recent Irish Human Rights Commission document on religion and education also dealt with this issue.
“Many of us have serious concerns with the language used in the recommendations of the IHRC document. It speaks of the dangers of proselytism and indoctrination in denominational schools, without ever defining these terms in the course of 106 pages.
“I reject the claim that the religious education provided in Catholic schools is indoctrination. To introduce a child to the faith of parents through the schooling system is not proselytism or indoctrination but education. Catholic parents have the human right to form their children in accord with their philosophical and religious convictions,” he said.
Religious education had “nothing in common with indoctrination, which amounts to a deliberate harming of students by undermining their natural ability to reason.
“In contrast, Catholic schools are committed to the deepest respect for both faith and reason and as such they contribute significantly to the formation of rational and mature citizens of our democratic society,” he said.
Catholic schools were “committed to a religious education which invites students to grow into a deeper understanding of Christian faith; it is respectful of difference, it is holistic and it is in dialogue with contemporary culture”.
Such religious education was “philosophically justified; it is based on well-established educational principles and fully respects the human rights of all involved”.
Those who dismissed schools with a religious ethos “as little more than proselytising and indoctrinating tools of religious authorities show little sense of the long evolution of Catholic schools over many centuries, the rich diversity within the Catholic sector and the principles which underpin such education today”, he said.
He pointed out that Catholic schools had “a responsibility to uphold the right of parents who wish, on conscientious grounds, for their child to opt out of any subject. It became clear in the conversations at the forum that it would be helpful for such schools if a protocol were agreed between the relevant education partners with regard to this issue.
“This might cover the timetabling of religious education and the understanding of the integrated curriculum,” he suggested.
“Denominational schools, if they are to maintain their identity, will need reasonable legislative provisions concerning enrolment, employment and the curriculum in religious education,” he said.
Such issues were addressed in the recent submission by the Irish Episcopal Conference to the universal periodic review of the UN Human Rights Council, he added.
