Almost three out of four Irish Catholics now believe it is time for the Church to mount a tactical retreat from education and divest many schools to the State, according to an online poll of readers of The Irish Catholic.
The findings also reveal that people believe this will allow the Church to devote more energy to ensuring that the Catholic schools that remain will authentically faithful in ethos.
The Facebook poll – which attracted almost 1,000 votes in less than 24 hours – asked readers: “After the referendum result, is it time for the Church to mount a tactical retreat and pull back from education, divest many schools to the State and prioritise Faith formation in the fewer remaining schools?
It also asked: “Should the Church stop taking State funding, even if it is for good causes?”
The poll found that 72% of respondents agreed with the proposition that the Church should pull back from education and divest many schools to the State. On the other hand, 28% of those who answered the poll voted ‘no’ indicating that they believe it would be a mistake for the Church to mount such a tactical retreat.
What do you think? Send your comments to letters@irishcatholic.ie
