NSW: Other faiths welcome at Catholic schools - church

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2007
NSW: Other faiths welcome at Catholic schools - church

SYDNEY, Aug 9 AAP - Students of other faiths are welcome in the state's Catholic schools,
the church says, denying it is seeking to squeeze out non-Catholics.

News Ltd reported today that Cardinal George Pell and a group of other Catholic leaders
want preference for school places given to children from a school's parish, followed by
other Catholics, then other Christians and then finally to students from other religions.

The schools have been urged to "re-examine how they might maximise enrolment of Catholic
students" and increase the proportion of school staff who are "practising and knowledgeable
Catholics".

Brother Kelvin Canavan, the executive director of Catholic schools in the Sydney archdiocese,
said the preference system had been in place for decades.

"That's really been the custom and practice probably for the last 20 years," he told
ABC radio today.

"The children of the local parish that has built and operates the school, those children
always have first call, then it's opened up to others.

"So there's nothing different in that."

Brother Canavan said about 20 per cent of students at Catholic schools were non-Catholic.

"The bishops have said we recognise this change and we embrace this different environment,"

he said.

"So there's no suggestion that people of other faiths are being squeezed out."

Brother Canavan said what the bishops had done was take stock of Catholic education
over the past 180 years.

"They have raised a number of issues and one of them, of course, is the whole religious
dimension of the schools in this more secular society," he said.

AAP kd/hn/jm/bwl

KEYWORD: CATHOLIC CANAVAN

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