BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1930, Page 6

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

CATI-IOLIO WISHES MET. i i 1 BILL’S PASSAGE FACILITATED. 1 < (Bv Telegraph— Press Assooiatvon). WELLINGTON, July 21. -si*! An official .statement lias been issued by title Executive of [the . BiWe-in-Schools League on recent negotiations between pom an Catholics and Protestants, as .the result of vvliich it is j expected that Roman Catholic opposition to proposals will be at least lessened on important points. The statements states that after a conference of representatives of Protestant Churches held in AVellington last March to consider matters reflating to the Bible-in-Schools question a letter was forwarded to Their Graces, Archbishop Redwood and O’Shea, quoting Bishop Cleary’s words:— “We only want two tilings—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the object of .meeting ‘the difficulties that had previously prevented the opposition or Roman Catholics' from being withdrawn. The difficulties werp frankly faced in the conference, and in corresponddncd, tvifft the. ..' .result proposals' made' by the League Executive (empowered jby the. Conference of Churches to continue negotiations) have now been accepted |by the Roman Catholic leaders. These proposals are as follows: (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 he given lessons in. isecular subjects.,'. .. : l These have been embodied in clauses.!.for jpclusion, in;a IbiLl". •; !r , ; q . i ■ The principle. u'hs also affirmed in a: ■ conference of -representativesof. Protestant Churches and,approved by . the Executive of the League as follows: If the , introductionl of religious observances or : instruction involves any additional cost, Roman Catholic 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 Roman Catholic .Hierarchy, which will be forwarded to the governing bodies of the Churches hodied "in a new Bill, which' will ' he considered by these Churches,., \yitlx, a_ .sirdiig.-recommeridatioii l for- acceptance by them i"Tlie' report, of 1 theiie i'CShurches liuir be recen ed'before the Bill taFes final shape and it is understood that the 'Bill cannot therefore be placed -before: Parliament until 1931. ' Reg'arding the question of State aid,, the League throughout hasybeeu 'quite' definite in the decision -’ .that, the negotiations must he earriqcLfdn;; without committing in any, way . to 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,” concludes the statement. The Roman Catholic statement is yet to come. > N £ V- \

' ij ' 'C& CATHOLIC STAND DEFINED: f 'V/0: O .*:• .IViVA WELLINGTON, .July 24, In ii .statement issued to-night. Archbishop Redwood says: “We have stated publicly, over and over again, not' only iii 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 adequately protected, and that Catholics were not obliged to contribute anything towards the.cost of ( such Protestant teaching. “Recently representatives of the Bible-in-Schools League have approached lis 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 consciences of Catholics and of others already mentioned is introduced into Parliament, it will not be opposed by us. “Of course, I repeat that, in adopting this attitude, we do not for a moment mean to give up o”r. just claim that the Catholic Schools are entitled to receive for the secular instruction given in them n 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 od the consciences of Catholic teachers and pupils, as well as of all others who cannot accept the proposed religious teaching, and which 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 “we will wish our non-. Catholic friends God speed in carrying out their proposals.” '' It,"