Sir, – Val Cosgrave (May 30th) has highlighted the rejection by official Vatican sources and by authoritative representatives of that organisation of the outcome of the marriage equality referendum. " A defeat for humanity" is the latest comment from them, to join, as Mr Cosgrave reminds us, "objectively disordered" and "a tendency towards an intrinsic moral evil".
This same organisation is responsible for the management of over 90 per cent of our State-funded schools, which they see fit to classify as "Catholic schools". In its 2008 pastoral letter, Vision 08, a Vision for Catholic Education in Ireland, the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference wrote that: "In a climate of growing secularism, Catholic schools are distinguished by faith in the transcendent mystery of God as the source of all that exists and as the meaning of human existence. This faith is not simply the subject matter of particular lessons but forms the foundation of all that we do and the horizon of all that takes place in the school."
There can be very little doubt, in the light of all of the above, that under the current arrangements our children are to be indoctrinated in a philosophy that is totally at odds with the prevailing will of the people. When added to the discrimination that leaves the children of secularist taxpayers at the back of the queue for places in our schools, and the intimidation of gay, lesbian and transgender teachers, this is only one more argument of the abolition of the patronage system and for the Department of Education to take over direct management of all schools that are funded by the State. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS McKENNA,
Windy Arbour,
Dublin 14.