Madam, - In a front-page report in your edition of May 9th, Paul Cullen describes the Catholic bishops' concerns about the proposed creation of a single multi-denominational scouting organisation from the two existing scouting groups: "The bishops' stance would allow children of different faiths to join the new organisation, provided they pledged allegiance to their respective gods. However, it would appear to exclude children from a humanist, atheist or agnostic family background."
This restriction would also exclude children of Buddhists from participation in scouts, as the Buddhist religion does not include any reference to a supreme being. Just because Buddhists don't believe in God doesn't mean they don't have "values" or "morals".
In the same way, parents' lack of belief in God is no reason why their children should be excluded on "moral" grounds from scouting. Under the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, this restriction would constitute discrimination on grounds of religion and could be challenged in the European Court of Human Rights.
The real reason behind the bishops' concerns is not dogma, but property: "Most CSI scout dens are located on church-owned land, but ownership of these would pass to the new organisation." - Yours, etc.,
DEBRA E. JAMES,
Cummerduff,
Co Wexford.
Madam, - Scouting fosters independence and responsibility in young people through experience of the outdoor environment. The vast majority of its values and ethos are shared with Christianity. As a Scout myself I derived great benefit from it and 10 subsequent years as a leader have made me a firm believer in scouting's many strengths.
The historical role of the Catholic Church in developing and promoting scouting in Ireland must be commended, since the foundation of CSI probably removed the perception of scouting as a British and Protestant movement. But the existence of two associations in Ireland is now outdated and a waste of resources and this merger is vital for scouting's survival and future development.
For "Catholic sources" to suggest that the merger proposals have not been "fully thought through" seems to me like reluctance to accept the results of an extremely widespread and time-consuming consultation process to which church representatives have doubtless contributed.
I believe that it is counter-productive and hypocritical of the Catholic Church to try and stifle the democratic development of a movement that offers children an opportunity to spend time away from the "vices" of modern life which are so often denounced from the pulpit.
I suspect that this last-minute appeal has more to do with loss of control over scouting than with any real concerns about the cosmetic changes to the Scout Promise and I appeal to fellow scouters of all beliefs to let scouting in Ireland move forward. - Yours, etc.,
ADRIAN DALY,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.