BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1930, Page 7

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

agreement reached

EXEMPTION FOR CATHOLICS

[per press association.]

WELLINGTON, July 24.

An official statement has been issued by the Executive of the Bible-in-Schools League on recent negotiations between Roman Catholics and Protestants, as the result of which it is expected that Roman Catholic opposition to proposals will be at least lessened on important points. The statement states that after a conference of representatives of Protestant Churches' 1 held in Wellington last March to consider matters relating to the Bible-in-Schools question, a letter was forwarded to. Their Graces, Archbishops Redwood and O’Shea, quoting Bishop Cleary’s words:—‘We only want two things—protection of the consciences of our children and protection of the consciences of our teachers": and enquiring if this represented the Roman Catholic position. The outcome was the opening of negotiations with the object of meeting the difficulties that had previously prevented the opposition of Roman Catholics from being withdrawn. The difficulties were frankly faced in the conference, and in Correspondence, with the result that proposals made by the League Executive (empowered by the Conference of Churches to continue negotiations) have now been accepted by the Roman Catholic leaders. ■ These proposals are as follow: — (1) That an interpretation of the League’s earlier conscience clause exempts ipso facto, all Roman Catholic teachers and pupils from participation in Bible lessons.

(2) That Roman Catholic taxpayers be freed' from paying any portion of additional expense that may be involved in the introduction of the Bible into Schools.

(3) That during the time set apart for religious instruction, the exempted pupils be given lessons in secular subjects. These have been embodied in clauses for inclusion in a bill.

The principle was also affirmed in a conference of representatives of Protestant Churches and approved by the Executive of the League as follows: — If the introduction of religious observances or instruction involves any additional cost, Roman Catholics shall be exempt from paying any share of this additional cost.”

These clauses, etc., represent proposals made by the League Executive and accepted by the Rpman Catholic Hierarchy, which will be forwarded to the governing bodies of the churches comprising the league. They are embodied in a new Bill ,which will be considered by these Churches, with a strong recommendation for acceptance by them. The report of these Churches will be received before the Bill takes final shape and it is understood that the Bill cannot therefore be placed before Parliament until 1931.

Regarding the question of State aid, the League throughout, has ‘‘been quite definite in the decision that the negotiations must be carried on without committing in any way the Roman Catholic claim. The negotiations have been conducted from the beginning, without involving any surrender of principle on either side. “These negotiations have happily resulted in a complete agreement between the League and the Roman Catholics on the above proposals."

CATHOLIC ATTITUDE

WELLINGTON, July 24.

In a statement issued to-night, Archbishop Redwood says: “We have stated publicly, over and over again, not only in joint, statements made by the Bishops of New Zealand, but frequently through the late Bishop Cleary, who was the official representative of the Hierarchy, whenever this question came up, that, altogether apart from the question of State aid to our schools, we were willing and anxious that some religion should be taught to Protestant children in the schools. It was provided, only, that the rights of conscience of the Catholic teachers and pupils, and of all the others concerned, were adequatelj r protected, and that Catholics were not Obliged to contribute towards the cost of such Protestant teaching. Recently representatives of the Bible-in-Schools League have approached us with the desire to come to some kind of agreement on the matter. The foregoing proposals are the outcome of our conversation. If a Bill containing the exemptions and safeguards for the conscience of Catholics and of others already mentioned is introduced into Parliament, it will not be opposed by us.

“Of course, I repeat tkat, /?. adopting this attitude, we do not for a moment mean to give up our just claim that the Catholic Schools are entitled to receive for the secular instruction given in them a fair share of the money contributed by the Catholic taxpayer towards the cost of educating the children of the Dominion. This claim we cannot, in conscience, surrender; but any proposals for religion in schools that fulfil the conditions we have so often insisted on for the protection of the consciences of Catholic teachers and pupils, as well as of all others who cannot accept the proposed religious teaching, will not be opposed by us. To use the words of the late Bishop Cleary, ‘the more religion in the schools there is, the better we shall like it.’ and wo will wish our non-Catholic friends God speed in carrying out their proposals.”