‘Hail Marys’ aren’t trivial

Sir — There is no doubt about the enormous demand among parents for nonreligious school patronage.

The Department of Education’s survey on school patronage in 2013 showed about one-quarter of parents would send their children to a non-religious school, with Educate Together being by far the preferred patron.

These figures suggest that 700 schools from the 2,800 schools currently under Catholic control could be filled by children whose parents want a non-religious education. Given these facts, people need to stop trivialising the demand for non-religious education

Sarah Carey (Sunday Independent, July 2) writes that removing the ‘baptism barrier’ will not add one additional school place. Of course not, that’s not its purpose. If there are new school places needed because of rising populations, we should build them. But in building new schools we should recognise the huge under-supply of non-religious schools for parents who want these schools.

As for over-subscribed schools, there can be little doubt that in many cases the demand arises from parents resident outside the immediate vicinity of these schools, who are not prepared to accept places in Catholic schools in their own localities.

As a result, children in highdemand areas are deprived of places in their local, publicly funded schools — on the grounds of their religion. Hopefully, removing the ‘baptism barrier’ will end this.

She writes “what about those children who are of a different religion or none, and are involuntarily exposed to religious instruction and feel excluded? It’s just wrong”.

This is true. But she adds “we shouldn’t worry too much about the minority in the [Catholic school] that aren’t Catholics”. How casually disrespectful is that?

She then adds fuel to the fire: “There are worse things in life than being subjected to a few Hail Marys.”

To Catholics, the right to say “a few Hail Marys” is not a trivial matter. Is it necessary to remind anyone of the great admiration within the Catholic Church for those who suffered or died for the right to say “a few Hail Marys”?

It is precisely the same for those who are not Catholic. They have just as much a right not to be exposed to a “few Hail Marys” as Catholics have to say those prayers.

It is insulting and disrespectful to impose religious indoctrination — even indirectly — on those who do not want it, and doubly disrespectful to dismiss this exposure to religious indoctrination in a casual way. Anthony O’Leary, Portmarnock, Co Dublin