THE head of the Anglican community in Dublin and Wicklowhas said that there is a real and justified demand for schools under church patronage.
In a strong defence of the continued role of all churches in education, the Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough, John Neill, yesterday pleaded with the Government to maintain its financial support to Protestant- and Catholic-run schools.
Archbishop Neill was delivering his annual presidential address to the joint Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Synods in Dundrum, Co Dublin.
"Schools under the patronage of the Christian churches would seem now to be in danger of becoming less significant in the planning of, and provision of, new schools and are less likely to be afforded the chance to develop than are other schools," the Archbishop warned.
But he stressed that the Church of Ireland was not opposed to new models of patronage that are emerging in growing suburban areas to cater for people of no religious persuasion and for the Muslim and other faith communities.
While welcoming the "encouraging" development of a new school building in Balbriggan, the Archbishop said it was very important that the choice of a Church of Ireland school remained a real option in areas which could not sustain a 16-teacher primary school.
"Like the Roman Catholic Church the Church of Ireland is insistent that in today's Ireland, an Ireland which though pluralistic and increasingly secular, there remains a real demand for, and justification for schools under Church patronage", said Archbishop Neill.
"If we have been less outspoken than the Roman Catholic Church on this, it is not because we care any less," he added.
"The only difference is that a majority Church and a minority Church face slightly different issues with regard to size."
The Archbishop also noted that in a recent audit of enrolment policies "a substantial number of Church of Ireland schools have above the average number of pupils for whom English or Irish is not the first language or indeed have an above average number of pupils with special educational needs".
Values
Turning to the current economic downturn on Budget day, Archbishop Neill said that Christians were challenged as much as anybody else "to face where our true values lie in times of recession".
Archbishop Neill identified those in need of hospital care as being particularly vulnerable "given the disgraceful level of health services, where the legacy of the total failure to address the issue when there was an opportunity to do something about it".
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(Source: II)