Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of the diocese of Waterford and Lismore has hit out at the Labour Party for their latest attack on Catholic education this week, saying that Labour Party TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is guilty of “almost inciting hatred” in the party’s bid to limit the rights of Catholic and denominational schools.
As reported by Gript, a majority of opposition parties in the Dáil, with the exception of Aontú and the Rural Independent Group, have united to undermine the rights of Catholic and denominational schools and to support the Education (Health, Relationships and Sex Education) Bill 2021 brought forward by the Social Democrats.
The Irish Examiner reports on a letter from Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, addressed to Labour Party Leader Alan Kelly, which refers to Labour Party education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin being “adamant” during the Labour Party conference earlier this month that religious patronage from schools “should be gotten rid of”.
A Private Members Bill before the Dáil would prohibit parents from having the right to withdraw their children from relationship and sex education classes that conflict with their values or which they felt were age-inappropriate or overtly ideological in nature.
In support of this position, the main sponsor of the Bill, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, pointed to a White Paper published in 2017 by the UN Commissioner for Human Right on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.
According to Deputy Gannon, the White Paper recommendation which called for the provision of “comprehensive sex education to be made be mandatory and standardised” should be enshrined as government and state education policy.
Deputy Gannon said that “domestic legislation should not permit children to be withdrawn from age-appropriate sex education that meets the standards of objectivity and impartiality as set by human rights law.”
The Dublin-Central TD said this was a vitally important element of the work to ensure a full separation of Church and State.
He went on to note that “it will not be a clean separation but a long and arduous process of untangling, bind by bind, the many ways in which they are connected and embroiled. It will be messy work. It will be a long journey, one which the Social Democrats and, I am sure, other parties around the Chamber are willing to take on.”
Previously Labour’s Aodhan Ó Ríordáin was strongly criticised for using the phrase “get them out” while urging the Labour Party’s 2021 Conference to end religious patronage in schools.
Now, the Bishop of Waterford has hit out at the attack on Catholic education in Ireland, writing in the letter that Mr Ó Ríordáin’s motives were “very clear” and that his attitude bordered on “inciting hatred”.
“His motives were very clear and there seems to have been sustained applause from the delegates,” the letter states.
“Mr Ó Ríordáin’s attitude seems to be one of almost inciting hatred and I would suspect that many reasonable people were very shocked.
“I was wondering is this the official attitude of the Labour Party to religious run schools?
“Does Mr Ó Ríordáin realise that our schools are generally working extremely well?” Bishop Cullinan asks, and adds that “the schools are the most inclusive”.
In response to the Bishop’s clear-cut comments, the Dublin Bay North TD said he would be open to a debate on the topic.
“I don’t know if the bishop actually saw my contribution, but it’s nothing I haven’t said before or hasn’t been said before in the public or political arena about separation of church and State, there has been reporting recently that I isolated one faith group in my comments and I didn’t,” Mr Ó Ríordáin said, according to the Irish Examiner.