Bishop criticises negative depictions of Catholic schools in visit to Navan

The Bishop of Meath, Tom Deenihan, who is the Chair of the Bishops’ Council for Education, has criticised the ideologically driven and adversarial depiction of Catholic schools as being grim places of indoctrination that children are forced to attend by Church and State.

He was speaking at the 50th anniversary celebrations of St Oliver's Plunkett Primary School in Navan this morning (Wednesday).

"We're here this morning, we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of St Oliver's School. It's a school that has grown, has endured over 50 years, is still very much supported and is very much in demand. There are 397 pupils here and 40 per cent of those pupils have parents who weren't born in Ireland.

"There are 15 different denominations attending the school here. Now I think that's a different picture to the picture that you would get if you're reading much of the commentary in relation to Catholic schools in Ireland over the past number of years. As you probably can hear from the sound behind and indeed from the balloons, it's a happy, welcoming place that's sought after by the local community.

"And for some reason, that's not the image of Catholic schools that has been created in Ireland. My point really is that Catholic schools enjoy local support, they're places of welcome, they're places of inclusion and they enjoy the support of the local communities. And that's often missing from the narrative in terms of reporting."

“Unfortunately, the discourse has not been on what the schools do; it has not been on the education, support and care that they provide; it has not been on the fact that these are popular schools, are well supported  and serve their community while being genuinely inclusive, but it has, rather, been a more negative, ideologically driven and adversarial depiction of Catholic schools, like this one, as being grim places of  indoctrination that children are forced to attend by Church and State.  And of course, that discourse and narrative has been ill-informed and false.”

He said that while “many of us have known this narrative to be untrue but, various groups, supported by funding from ideological philanthropical entities, many from outside the State, continue to lobby politicians and media with a rather narrow, nuanced and distorted narrative. Some of that view can be accepted by society and at times, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Catholic school is the reason for every current ill in the world of Irish education.”

There were atrocities, he stated.

“We share that shame.  But Catholic orders and congregations were providing education long before free education in Ireland and religious congregations were providing care for those who were sick too.  It is also important to note that those who offered those views were third level students and many were graduates of Catholic schools themselves.  I attended a Presentation Sisters Primary school, a Christian Brothers Primary  and Secondary School and when I was sick, I attended a Mercy Sisters Voluntary Hospital.  I am certainly not alone in that regard.

“We are almost at the point where some would want us to hide the fact that we are either patron of, teaching in, on the Board of, working at or attending or attended local, Catholic primary and post-primary schools.  That  is what happens when narratives are repeated, unchecked and blindly accepted.”

“Let me also say that independent and reputable research has indicated that Catholic schools are the most inclusive, not just in terms of religion but in terms of ability, socio-economic background, ethnic background and  nationality.  St Oliver’s is no exception, and I am thankful for and congratulate the school on that achievement.  That is significant.”

Bishop Deenihan said that earlier this month, we witnessed the broad release of the recent survey on divesting.

“Initial results seem to indicate that while there was a 40 per cent response rate, over 60 per cent favoured their school remaining under Catholic ethos.   While there were 60 per cent of parents who did not participate, one would have to deduce that there is a greater likelihood that most of these would also be satisfied with the status quo.  Those who want change are always more likely to vote.

Of those who participated nationally, over 60 per cent wished their local school to  remain under Catholic ethos.  When one takes out those schools that overwhelmingly wish to change, and they exist in some areas, particularly in urban areas that have become multicultural, the percentage of those satisfied rises further for most local Catholic schools. That is not surprising.  In fact, it is most surprising that our journalists and many of our commentators and politicians are surprised.  You and I know that Catholic schools like St Oliver’s are working well, serve local needs and offer an education to students that reflects their needs and abilities.  Lived experience must inform one’s opinion and I suspect that has not been the case in the discussion on Catholic education.

“We have had the survey on divesting.  We have achieved a result.  Granted, it is not the result that some predicted or would have wished for.  But democracy, maturity, pluralism, respecting parental choice, and even inclusion itself, demand that we accept the result of that survey.  Anything else would change the image of a reporter to that of an advocate or lobbyist and that would damage further the perception of objectivity that is integral to unbiased reporting in a democracy.  Indeed, in other countries, the term ‘fake news’ has been applied to such a perceived scenario!

The Bishop said that if there is a wish for divesting in any part of his diocese when the more detailed local school results are published, he, like the other bishops as patrons of Catholic schools, will happily engage with the Department of Education and Youth to initiate a closer examination of the wishes of parents and staff.

“If there is a wish for divesting, I would respect that and it would happen. But, in the meantime, it must be acknowledged that most schools, like Saint Oliver’s, have been serving the local community - and serving the community very well – for generations, and in this case for 50 years; that our schools are inclusive and cater for students with a wide range of nationalities and abilities and from a wide range of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds; that our schools serve the needs of their pupils and have adapted over the years to cater for a changing demographic and a wide variety of student needs; that our schools are Catholic and are known to be Catholic and, while they prepare their students for the reception of the Sacraments, they also respect and encourage difference and welcome students of all faiths and none; our schools are inclusive and do not refuse to enrol on the basis of faith or baptism; our schools are staffed by committed, competent and kind staff, and are not grim places of indoctrination in spite of criticism by some opposed to faith schools; our schools enjoy the support of their local communities; and that as reported on 7th April, the results of the Department’s survey on divesting indicate that the majority of parents in the local communities, wish to send  their children to such Catholic schools, and that choice must be respected.”