Bishop: Church will divest schools where parents want it

The Bishop of Meath has said he if there is a wish for divesting by parents and staff of a school in his diocese he will “respect that and it will happen.”

Bishop Tom Deenihan made the commitment at the Fiftieth Anniversary celebrations of Saint Oliver’s National School in Navan on Wednesday.

“If there is a wish for divesting in any part of this diocese when the more detailed local school results are published, I, like the other bishops as Patrons of Catholic schools, will happily engage with the Department to initiate a closer examination of the wishes of parents and staff,” he said. “If there is a wish for divesting, I will respect that and it will happen.”

The Bishop was speaking in the wake of the broad release of the recent national survey on divesting, which recorded a forty per cent response rate. Of those who participated, over sixty per cent favoured their school remaining under Catholic ethos.

Bishop Deenihan suggested the true level of satisfaction with the status quo was likely higher still. “While there were sixty 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.”

He called on politicians, journalists and commentators to accept the survey result. “Democracy, maturity, pluralism, respecting parental choice and even inclusion itself demands that we accept the result of that survey,” he said.

Bishop Deenihan who holds the education brief for the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said that “in the meantime, it must be  acknowledged that: most schools, like Saint Oliver’s have been serving their community and serving their community well  for many years, in this case for fifty years; these 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; these 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; these 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; these schools are inclusive and do not refuse to enroll on the basis of faith or baptism; these schools are staffed by committed, competent and  kind staff and are not grim places of indoctrination; these schools enjoy the support of their local communities; from the recent survey on divesting, the majority of parents in the local communities, wish to send  their children to such Catholic schools and that choice must be respected.”