Catholic schools can and should be open to and respectful of other religious traditions, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, said last night.
He welcomed the fact that many schools, particularly in Dublin, were now multi-ethnic and said "all our schools must assert in their day-to-day practice that the new Irish are true Irish".
However, he stressed that pluralist did not mean secularist, adding that "religious culture has its rightful place in a pluralist society".
In a pluralist society, the school "cannot be imagined as a neutral space where all beliefs and values are left at the door". He also said there was evidence of a need for "massive investment" in the State's primary schools sector.
At a Mass to mark the beginning of the academic year, held in St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin, he said "religious education should be understood as an exciting project which is truly in harmony with a modern pluralist society".
He added that "religious values, which point beyond the consensus values of the day, can be the best antidote to a culture of consumerism and superficiality.
"They help the young person move beyond individualism and speak about solidarity and gratuitous love in a market-dominated culture in which everything has its price and you get just what you pay for."
He hoped teachers present would "take up the challenge of keeping alive in our times the great tradition of Irish educators who understood their work not as just passing on information but as one of journeying together with young people, opening their minds to the deeper questions of life, and together finding answers that enrich in the message of the Gospel".
He said "the specific tradition of the Catholic school can and should be one open to and respectful of other religious traditions".
"Many of our schools, especially in Dublin city, are multi-ethnic. Parents who have come recently to our shores place their confidence in our schools that their children will be welcomed and will grow happily in their new environment," he said.
From his own experience visiting parishes around the archdiocese, he said he could "see without any hesitation that our teachers are among the most outstanding groups within our communities".
"The less advantaged the parish or the area, the more dedicated and creative the teachers are," he added.
He also said that the Republic's economic miracle owed much to the quality of education available in the State.
There was evidence that primary school education needed "massive investment to bring it up to general European standards. There is need for massive investment in the teachers training colleges", he said.