Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has dismissed the concept of "race" as an invention of "fake science concocted to exploit difference, to justify dominance".
"There are different ethnic and cultural groups, but only one human race," he said. Paradoxically, it is "only when we recognise the unity of humankind that we can then recognise that difference is enrichment".
He said that there were now children of more than 100 nationalities in Catholic schools in Dublin and he had initiated dialogue with leaders of other faiths to ensure that the needs of children of other faiths in Catholic schools in Dublin were met. He wanted to ensure that such children were "never the object of discrimination or marginalisation".
The archbishop was speaking in St Patrick's training college in Drumcondra, in Dublin, yesterday where, along with Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) president Sheila Nunan, he launched the Crosscare "Celebrating Difference" website.
Crosscare, the social care agency of the Dublin diocese, prepared the website in association with INTO.
The online service is the first of its kind in Ireland and is free to all primary schools.
Pat Brady, programme manager at Crosscare, said: "Special emphasis has been put on Ireland's new minorities without losing sight of our indigenous minority - Travellers". He said the new site represented years of work by its three co-authors - Sheila Nunan, Michael O'Reilly and Brendan Hyland.
Dr Martin said: "Ireland will be a society in which difference will be more evident and in which, hopefully, difference will be seen as enriching. That will only happen if we recognise the dignity and originality of each person. Each of them represents a special thought of God and should be treated with respect, welcome and care."
Speaking to the media later, the archbishop described the concept "race" as the product of a 19th-century pseudo-science, the purpose of which was to divide. It was carried to absurd lengths in South Africa under the apartheid regime, he said, recalling his surprise when confronted with a question as to his race when applying to visit Zambia.
Asked about the Cura controversy on abortion information, he said he hoped that at next week's meeting with the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, ways might be found to allow Cura to flourish. He described Cura as "a wonderful organisation" which had existed before current funding arrangements with the agency.