Madam, – With respect to Irene E Allen’s comments (May 28th), I would rather my constitutional right to raise my child as I see fit, which includes my choice of school and religious ethos. I have paid enough tax. Not since penal times have Catholics been under such pressure to conform with the prevailing culture.
On this issue of so-called “traditional divides”, I find the arrest of Gen Ratko Mladic most timely. People forget that all schoolchildren in communist Yugoslavia were educated in the same secular, atheist-style schools and yet non-denominational education failed to eradicate historical enmities.
Respect for beliefs and acknowledgment of historical adversity (and not simplistic gestures or coercive policies) are the key to a harmonious society. – Yours, etc,