Archbishop Diarmuid Martin defends church’s role in education

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has defended the role of the Catholic Church and the Christian Brothers in education.

In his homily at the Chapter of the European Province of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Archbishop Martin said the contribution of the Catholic Church in the area of education is often presented in a negative light.

“Even the word Catholic with reference to education is presented in negative terms, almost as if the church is at the root of everything that went wrong in Irish society,” said Archbishop Martin. He added that in today’s climate of secularisation, “there is is the temptation for people of faith to feel others are out to disconcert them and tradition values are scorned.”

Archbishop Martin said that although Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers were not as present in schools as they were in the past, "their witness in society as men of God, prayer and wisdom is vital."

He said the church “provided ample ammunition for such criticism” but that “unjust criticism must be refuted.” “Young people . . . need anchors in their lives, they need pointers to what is true and just and loving,” he said.