The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, has said that the manner in which some training days for teachers of the Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme were conducted in the diocese "violated" assurances that the programme would respect the ethos of schools.
He asked whether assurances by the Minister for Education concerning the programme were to prevail. "Serious doubts" had also been raised about the teaching methods and the content of the programme.
"Of necessity, these provisions were intended for general use, without reference to any particular religious ethos," he said, but he wondered whether that meant "they are neutral and capable of being developed in harmony with Catholic moral conviction.
If not, and serious doubts regarding pedagogical methods and content have been raised, is the principle laid down by the Minister to prevail?"
His representatives would be seeking clarification from the Department of Education.
Dr Connell was speaking yesterday at the dedication of a new altar in St Vincent de Paul Church in Marino.