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Protestant schools in the Republic
The Archbishop of Dublin’s address to the Dublin and Glendalough Diocesan Synod on 20th October should not be allowed to pass without comment. I’m afraid Dr Neill did not address the point, essential to the debate, about the questionable ‘Protestantness’ of Protestant-governed feepaying secondary schools.
Simply put, these schools can only establish a tenable case for favourable treatment if they cater exclusively, or overwhelmingly, for the Protestant community. This case has not yet been convincingly made.
We need, for proper debate, current statistics on the proportions of non-Protestants attending such schools, so as to judge whether they could be thus held, in their composition of staff and pupils, to be truly reflecting the ‘Protestant ethos’ (whatever that actually is), and thus justifying special treatment. There seems a strange reluctance to be forthcoming on this point. So let me quote from one published source. In 1997, it was estimated that, on average, about one-third of places in such schools were occupied by non- Protestants. This masked considerable differences between schools; for instance, 70% of the day-pupils and 90% of the boarders at Alexandra College - which, in its mission statement, pays tribute to "the Church of Ireland dedication which supported, enabled and still maintains the foundation" - were Catholics (M.C. Charon, Studies, vol. 87, no. 345, p.18).
The real problem is that the Protestant denominations are still fighting the battles of 1967. At that time, management bodies, school staffs and parents all had an interest in maintaining the status quo. This was entirely understandable. For a minority community which was being corrosively eroded by the Ne Temere decree, the homogeneity of the student body was critical. Rather than choosing between having their schools absorbed into the free education scheme or going it alone, the Protestant denominations lobbied successfully for the state to subsidise their private schools. Public provision of education with a ‘Protestant ethos’ was provided for in a limited fashion through a number of Protestant comprehensives, but only after it was guaranteed that these would be the exception rather than the rule. However, the world has changed and the imperatives of 2009 are a long way removed from those of forty-two years ago.
If these schools are for Protestants irrespective of means, social standing or academic ability, then that must be, by definition, at the expense of taxpayers generally. This state of things has not served the Church of Ireland - of which I have been a member from birth - well. It has had the result of diverting considerable resources and effort into holding on to a position that is difficult to defend; it has undoubtedly reinforced outside views of the Church as an oasis of privilege and made it sound petulant and self-serving in a new age of austerity; it has exposed the Church to the dangers of finding itself used for political partisanship; and, above all, it has blurred the Church’s mission to reach out to the poor and underprivileged of Ireland, and the world.
Ian d’Alton
Rathasker Heights
Naas,
Co. Kildare
Two letters in the Gazette of 16th October aroused my curiosity (and well done, by the way, for printing them) as both provided insights into the mindset of Protestant thinking within Northern Ireland that send us southern Anglicans choking over our breakfast cereals.
It is hard to fathom that your correspondents - Gordon Graham and Sammy Heenan - both come from the same county within Northern Ireland, as they might as well come from different planets. I can clearly see where Dr Graham is coming from with his description of our schools branding themselves as of ‘Protestant ethos’. There is yet some way to go before we reach the stage of calling ourselves Anglicans, or perhaps one day speaking of a ‘Christian ethos’ might be more appropriate.
The letter from Mr Heenan was downright insulting to all who associate themselves with a modern Ireland and shows the depths of bigotry that still exist in Northern Ireland post-Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Perhaps Mr Heenan doesn’t realise that the terminology he mentions was used universally and that there were many casualties on both sides of the border, including bombings in Dublin, Monaghan and Belturbet, that were caused by northern thugs, not to mention the hundreds of innocent victims of socalled Protestant murder gangs and the disruption of people’s livelihoods along the border caused through roads being blocked by the security services. I had hoped that with these past ten years of peace and normality on this island people’s attitudes would have changed too, but this clearly is not the case in some quarters.
Christopher Kirk
Ballaghanea
Virginia
Co. Cavan
Bishop Miller was criticised by Alexander Hilton (letter, Gazette, 9th October) for inviting me as a representative of the Progressive Unionist Party to read at one of his services. Given the links between the PUP and the UVF, Mr Hilton asked: "What message does this send to victims of the UVF?".
The peace process, which has replaced murder and mayhem with dialogue and functioning political institutions, owes much to many. Among those who have played a prominent role are former loyalist paramilitaries who became convinced of the futility of political violence. Their political views found expression in the PUP which, since its inception, has been commited to conflict transformation and to building bridges between those who once were enemies.
Many of those who supported violence are now actively working to create a just and equal society underpinned by a sustainable peace process. I consider this activity to be entirely consistent with the Christian Gospel. That is why I am a member of the PUP and why I accepted Bishop Miller’s invitation to participate in the service. I hope this message of individual and community transformation offers some comfort to the victims of our recent troubles.
John Kyle (Dr)
Progressive Unionist Party
66 North Road
Belfast
BT5 5NJ