The Irish bishops recently announced their intention to renounce running those Catholic primary schools that create problems and misunderstandings especially in areas where the non-Catholic population has increased. In a document called “Catholic primary schools: a policy for provision into the future”, the bishops explain why many Catholic schools have very long waiting lists and are unable to accommodate all the pupils that apply to enter them. This demand does not, they say, depend on a strong interest for Catholic education. The schools run by the Church are often the only ones to which parents can send their children, a very onerous situation from the financial and administrative point of view for the parish that runs the school. Catholic schools have been criticized in Ireland because they privilege Catholic pupils to the detriment of non-Catholics when the available places are limited. The bishops repeat in their document that the Church runs its own schools to be able to guarantee a Catholic education to families that go to church: the Church, they say, is willing to renounce the running of primary schools in areas where there has been a significant increase of the non-Catholic population due to the influx of immigrants. A new study was begun by the Church on the role of Catholic parents in the education of children. A first report will be presented to the bishops in December and the final version will be discussed at the general meeting of bishops at Maynooth in March next year.
