More multi-faith schools sought

The Republic needs more multi-faith schools to cope with an increase in religious diversity over the last 10 years, according to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance.

The commission, which is part of the 46-nation Council of Europe, said that the Irish authorities should "promote multi-denominational or non-denominational schools and adopt the necessary legislation to that end".

The commission issues periodic reports on individual countries.

Its Third Report on Ireland, published yesterday, called for the measure to increase religious tolerance and understanding.

The report was given an immediate welcome by the Irish National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI).

The NCCRI revealed that between 2002 and 2006 the Orthodox Christian community in the Republic had doubled in number from 10,400 to 20,800.

In addition, the Muslim community grew by 70 per cent over the same period - from 19,100 to 32,500.

The NCCRI found, however, that the vast majority of Irish nationals living in Ireland - some 92 per cent - were Roman Catholic.

This figure compares with just 51 per cent of non-Irish nationals in Ireland counting themselves as Roman Catholic.

The NCCRI called on the incoming government to look at the issue as a matter of urgency because of the planning time needed for new schools, which is usually several years.

"The failure to address this issue as a priority may lead to more children finding it difficult to access a place in a primary school, in particular those from a minority religious background," said the NCCRI's director, Philip Watt.

He also called on the incoming government to make an early commitment to continue the implementation of the National Action Plan Against Racism.