THE Catholic archdiocese of Sydney wants its 167 school principals, its deputy principals and religious education co-ordinators to publicly commit to a “vow of fidelity” by adhering to church teaching on homosexuality, birth control and women’s ordination.
In a first for the Australian church, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, is set to extend the oath of fidelity and profession of faith, a requirement of church law for bishops, priests and heads of seminaries, to all senior educational leaders.
The oath demands “religious submission of intellect and will” on questions of faith and morals – even if these are inferred but not defined by the pope and his bishops – and an acceptance that everything solemnly taught by church tradition is divinely inspired.
It suggests they would be bound not only to impart these teachings but to live by them.
The above oath is only a small part of a complex pastoral plan for Sydney Diocese over the next few years, but it seems to getting the most attention. A similar move in the USA was criticised as an attack on academic independence and an unwelcome imposition of doctrinal controls. Local critics accuse the plan over focussing on the needs of the clergy hierarchy over the needs of churchgoers.
The continuing tension between the Catholic clergy and the laity, between the Vatican hierarchy and reforming theologians, can only get uglier.
I wonder how “religious submission of intellect and will” differs from ordinary old “submission of intellect and will” on questions of faith and morals.
If this Roman Catholic vow of fidelity for schoolteaches is successfully opposed, consistency is going to demand a very severe inquiry into just exactly what is taught in Islamic schools in Australia.
The next step is obvious: crying poor because the catholic schools can’t support themselves and suddenly need lots more federal funding. You can only feel sorry for the people who attend catholic schools. I guess they wanted a “values” education, now they are going to get it. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not ecstatic we yanked our kids from private schools. The local public school is a cracker.
Congratulations to George Pell for the best attempt in recent times to send Australia back to medievalism. Oaths of religious loyalty are so 15th century.
Any attempt to impose religious loyalty in school principals will have an inevitable flow-on effect to teaching. This will have a special impact on sex education – we could well see the sporadic introduction of the American-style “abstinence education” – but more ominously on large parts of science teaching, and especially the teaching of evolution, with a tendency to promote creationist beliefs in contrast to proper scientific information.
The threat to science teaching comes not just from the Catholic Church. There is an equally insidious American-style Protestantism at work in Australian politics. We have already seen an attempt by the former Minster of Education Brendan Nelson to introduce “intelligent design” to science education in Australia.
Of course the imposition of religious teaching will be piecemeal, and advertised under the banner of “choice”. A secular education is not one that accommodates religious teachings, but sweeps them aside; for wherever religion gains a foothold in education, it is always at the expense of science.
BTW, what is it with Pell’s preoccupation with homosexuality, birth control and women in the clergy? He has a real problem with issues surrounding sex. Pell is a man of influence, and he is sucking on the public teat just to accommodate his own sexual hangups.
What I really want to know is, what is his position on global warming? When is he going to promote that in Catholic schools?
If you impose this on the staff, it’s only a matter of time before it flows through to the students.
Many parents find Catholic schools appealling because they have a bit of academioc rigour and don’t go heavy on the doctrine. Even parents who are Catholics find it appealling to send their kids to schools which aren’t doctrine-heavy, and the Catholics find it appealling to be able to make their values and doctrine available to those who might not otherwise receive them. This market is a fairly sizeable one and it will evaporate overnight if these changes go through – it’s likely they will wither as these schools are seen as only open to the More Catholic Than Thou, and the cultivation of bigots well versed in the Diet of Worms but unable to break a habit of scribbling the letters “AMDG” at the top right of every piece of paper they ever write on.
It’s also a recipe for having staff who are heavy on the doctrine and light on other qualities, such as teaching skill and ability to relate to young people. It’s of a piece with having priests turn their backs on people and babble away in a dead language – not so much missing the point but ignoring it, fully consistent with Pell’s record.
Read those biblical verses where Jesus argues with the Pharisees and Saducees about following the spirit of the law rather than the spirit of it. You can hear the sonorous voice of Pell as you read the quotes from Pharisees and Saducees. If Pell was around at the time of love-your-neighbour-as-yourself carpenter, would he be giving up the baubles and trappings of office to follow him? Would he bollocks. Once you realise that, his doctrine is all clanging cymbals and empty drums.
Your question answered, Andrew:
‘Opposed’ by whom? ‘Consistency’ from whom? ‘Severe inquiry’ from whom? My understanding is that Kim was referring to opposition that might come from a potentially rebellious Catholic laity and reform theologians within the Catholic church. What power do you think they would (or should) have to inquire into Islamic schools?
Did you even read Kim’s post? I understand that such a thing would interfere nastily with your black and white world view, of course, but I believe it’s a convention of blogging that you read a post before commenting on it.
If you are referring to some hypothetical government intervention, which neither Kim nor the linked article mentions, do you really think a government (pick a government, any government) would attempt to intervene in Catholic education and leave Islamic education alone?
I know you and your ilk need to believe that anyone who doesn’t share your obsession with Islam must perforce be on ‘their side’, but that is absolute bollocks and always has been. Some of us can actually think outside simple, absolute binaries. You should try it.
Post is by tigtog, Pavlov’s Cat.
The report describes opposition to Pell’s plan from within the Catholic community. If the opposition to the plan was coming from government bodies you might have a point.
As long as religious schools exist to serve religious communities, then the appropriate religious community gets to decide what those schools teach over and above the mandated standard subjects. The level of hierarchy in the community determines how much influence various authority figures have over their co-religionists: Pell doesn’t have the authority to decree this without broad community approvial, which he may well not get.
Um … Tigtog’s post.
*Blushes violently and withdraws from discussion*
God, that’s even worse than making a spelling mistake while correcting someone’s spelling, isn’t it. SATP, I beg your pardon.
I was so busy reading the post I didn’t look carefully at who put it up. It is almost always Kim who posts on Catholic issues, but that is no excuse. None at all.
No worries, PavCat: it appears you were pretty much channelling me anyway.
This sort of move from Pell runs parallel to the moves by Jensen in the Anglican Archdiocese to turn elite Anglican schools into far more religious institutions than the rugger bugger free ticket to uni and social mobility places they currently are. Attempts have been made to ensure that school council members are sound practicising evangelical Anglicans of Jensen’s stripe. So I think that Andrew’s analysis is about right. When he was Archbishop of Melbourne, Pell spent a lot of time and energy trying to oust clergy from schools and the education bureaucracy whom he didn’t think were sound and personally supervising the re-writing of curriculum materials.
Feel for poor old George.
Truth is, the actual catholic clergy is losing power big time. Nobody wants to become a priest or a nun. So the next best thing is to start heavying the laity, more. Those who rely on him as boss.
It is an ambit claim and those who work in this sector will get together and tell him to keep praying to the patron saint of lost causes…..
Coz, it aint going to work.
http://www.luckymojo.com/saintjude.html
Mark, I imagine Pell and the Jensen brothers might be t’riffic golf buddies, were it not for Pell’s robes being a dealbreaker.
(Many longtime congregants at the Cathedral have left for more traditionalist parishes because the Jensenites came in and took over all the positions involving highlighting brass, stained glass, choristers, incense etc. Transcript of a 2004 Radio National Religion Report covers some of the changes).
I know alot of Catholics and the surprising thing about them is how hostile they are to the Catholic Church itself. It does not have much to do with the positions of people like George Pell. Its more about the local churches and priests. The Catholics I know just don’t feel that the church they deal with is all that focused on God and spirituality. Its a as though the Catholic Church, from the local priest level right on up to the Vatican, has lost its credibility in the eyes of Catholic believers as God’s representative on Earth. They’re increasingly viewed as just another somewhat cynical self interested group.
Its easy to see why. You should see the re-built Parramatta church. Custom built stainless steel/glass sculpting for the main doors with gold plating (literally). Huon pine furniture, and a book at the main entrance telling you who paid for each ostentatious feature. Its beautiful architecture but seems more appropriate for the headquarters of a fortune 500 company than a church.
What a load of crap, swio. Most Catholics quietly approve of their Church and indeed of Pell. They send their children to Catholic schools and find them to be staffed by teachers and principals who also support Catholic doctrines, albeit quietly. Most have learned of the hidden bigots that surface everywhere.
I suspect most principals would not have serious concerns about Pell’s vow of fidelity. There will be some, and they will be sought out by the media and bigots. But not many.
Actually if the anxious voices I am hearing from even athiests with children about the nihilism of government schools is any guide, even athiests parents will flock to catholic schools with heavier doctrinal and moral standards.
The fact is that even the most rabid baby-boomers/Gen-X’s now realize that the catholic Church is the world’s strongest and longest-living transmitter of Greco-Roman civilization and the rigorous ethical and moral framework that has developed over 3,000 years.
For all its faults, there is nothing on this earth that comes within a country mile.
I agree. We should condemn all religious education – Catholic, Protestant, Exclusive Brethren, Jewish, Moslem, whatever. Some are worse than others. Some religions are in the open about what they do. Others shun the light of day. Which is worse? I don’t know. Get rid of them all.
I must say the notion of “submission of intellect” isn’t a particularly happy one when it comes to education!
Tigtog, you said:
I don’t follow. Which community do you mean?
There’s no reason why the broader non-Catholic community should have any special say in religious teaching policy in Catholic schools—it’s rather the reason they were established in the nineteenth century in the first place. The consent of the churchgoing Catholic community is hardly required, the Church being a divine institution, not a democratic one. The real battle as I see it is going to be between the Archbishop’s office and the NSW Catholic Education Office, who’re generally fairly jealous of their policymaking powers, especially where syllabus is concerned. Does the Archbishop have authority over the CEO? We’ll see, but in matters of Catholic authority, I’d usually back the older bloke in the frillier dress.
On a broader note, I just don’t see the controversy. Even as late as forty years ago Catholic schools in Australia were staffed almost exclusively by men and women in religious orders, who submitted as a matter of vocation their wills and intellect to doctrine. The idea that the laity should have any say whatsoever in Catholic schooling is a very recent concept indeed.
Anyway, if parents don’t want doctrinal Catholic education for their children, they ought to send their children elsewhere—or have their own talks at the dinner table about contraceptives, homosexuality and women’s ordination, and stop expecting strict ‘values-based’ schooling to socialise their children for them.
Mark suggested the Jensenite reforms, parallel to Pell’s would:
Three cheers for the Jensens, I say.
—SIGNAL (UNCLASSIFIED)—
FROM: ADM DAGAMA
TO: LP WAR ROOM
POSITION: PROSTATED
—TEXT FOLLOWS—
COMMENT AUTOMODERATED
PONTIFEX MAXIMUS, LIBERA NOS A MALO
IN NOMINE PATRIAE, CMON AUSSIE
GLORIA JEANS IN EXCELSIS DEO
—SIGNAL ENDS—
FdG – I meant from the Catholic community. I could well be wrong of course, but my understanding is that archdiocesal pastoral plans have to approved by the majority of parishes in the archdiocese, and that it is the parish councils who do that rather than the parish priest.
Unlike the Anglicans, such things don’t have to go to Synod, but I believe that the archbishop can’t just say “this is how things are going to be” much as he wishes that could be the case.
I’m reliably informed that if Boy Scouts persist in wearing their woggles upside down, they can be drummed out of the wolf pack.
And a good thing too.
The Federal funding the Catholic education system receives barely covers the rising number of non-Catholic children the Church agrees to educate. That was the Mannix/Menzies deal brokered decades ago and so far both Church and State have honoured the terms.
Unless, of course, the object one submits to is the truth.
Tigtog: I severely doubt that parishes or parish councils have any avenues whatsoever in this case. They might think they’ve a role in managing their systemic schools, especially the primary schools, but the CEO is responsible for policy—and the Archdiocese appoints the Archdiocese Catholic Schools (SACS) Board. Perhaps they could withdraw their fundraising labour, and sell no more lamingtons or chocolate crackles, but that’d be about it.
As long as the NSW Government and Board of Studies approve, I’d imagine the Archbishop can just say “this is how things are going to be”.
Yes, I think Fiasco is right on this. Parish based schools might have some independence by virtue of their nominal subordination to parish priests, but here obviously the priests are responsible to Pell.
It’s the non-systemic schools – ie those run by religious orders (Christian and Marist Brothers, Jesuit and Dominican Fathers, etc) – that have much more independence from the archdiocesan authorities.
Dany le roux’s first comment says it all really. Succinct and amusing. The anti-intellectual authoritarianism of the Catholic church has been plaguing western society for some centuries now, but thankfully it has become increasingly marginalised politically, especially since the Enlightenment. Pell’s talk of submission is a useful reminder of the fact that the Catholic hierarchy is fascist at heart. The best response is to support the continuing process of marginalisation – for the children’s sake.
“rugger bugger free ticket to uni and social mobility places they currently are”
Hardly free, Mark, though you might think so given their success in the market place.
It is rather harsh to assume that theologically ambivalent parents could only be pulling their children out of the state education system merely for social mobility reasons. Harsh and yet convenient.
As for you Silkworm, you definitely have the metaphorical gene that has led to religious fanaticism in others.
Well said, James. Though it’s not very metaphorical or genetic, Silkworm’s just an old-fashioned sectarian at heart.
And on the Fourth Day of the Sixth Month, Anno Domini 2007, Big George launched his campaign for the Heavyweight Championship of The Holy See.
Big George’s clampdown will make him the Spiritual Super Hero of the World Junior Rock-chopper Convention in Sydney later this year. The multitude of pilgrims are rich enough to afford the journey and many, very devout. Lots of flagellants and cilice kids who reflexly relate to a strict leader and prosper under authoritarian regimes.
Perhaps the Crimsoned Princes responsible for the next “puff of white smokeâ€? will permit their prayers to be disturbed in order that they may assess Big George’s performance at the Convention, and indeed, the participant’s response to Big Geoge when he’s centre stage. For the good of Holy Mother Church, of course.
Lovely snaps, Mark . Reminds me of the way Gorgeous George, the wrestler of renown, used to frock-up for his ring-side entrances. A sense of theatre is so important in a potential Papa.
Substitute about 20k a year, James!
My, but Larvatus Prodeo is a broad church!
Although, the button to spread this comment does say “submit”.
Not religiously submit, though, David!
Hmm, that’d explain this, I s’pose.
But at least they’d be catholic bullets!!
More upstanding behaviour from kiddies at those values-filled elite religious schools:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21842716-2,00.html
A classic case of projection, which identifies FdG as the real old-fashioned sectarian.
I wont stick the boot in at Pell tonight, I think he has problems, that are more than the contemporary failures of so called morals within or outside Catholic property.I just feel saddened that kids are even worse than some schools I went to at this time.And angry Catholics sometimes maybe right in ways as yet not understood .Perhaps they got to me at Ballan St. Josephs…. a Sister of St. Josephs school not far from Ballarat. Before Pell was even a Catholic.
What fascinated me about this move, and the move in Tasmania, is how unaware Pell and co are of the changing demographics in Catholic Schools.
I’ve tutored secondary students, who have been moved into Catholic schools, which have nothing to do with religion. One who had learning disability of some sort was moved in the hope he would receive greater indiviudal attention from teachers than the perceived crowded classrooms of his state school. And even there the parents were starting to wonder why he used to get so much homework from religion – also as an unbeliever the young chap used to come up with some of the funniest answers to the many questions of religious doctrine (his parents being Monty Python devotees would have helped.) And I can think of another student, who gave the religion subject the sort of disdain that only someone who has had a subject foised upon them can. She’d get As and Bs in her subjects, and scrape by with satisfactory grades in religion without any study.
I know this is anecdotal, but I doubt enrolment increases have much to do with Catholic school “values” and more to do with perception of discipline, academic rigour and technical facilities when compared with state schools. If Pell succeeds in his quest to send the schools back in time it will be followed by an exodus of students (some back into the public system, others into other private schools), as the perception of greater emphasis placed on the arcane rudiments of religion will see parents desiring their kids be sent to schools that focus on the true religious calling of maximising HSC marks.
John Greenfield wrote:
Well, that’s me. Gen-X, atheist, possibly nihilist. School age kids no longer going to private schools because of the problems they get into trying to manage the worldly issues of spending my fees on “performance centres” and cramming 32 anonymous kids into their classes. They can get stuffed. When they weren’t getting ignored by their teacher, they were getting religious garbage shovelled at them. All that for $3000 a term, at the end of which the teacher did not have the courtesy to remember my daughters name and dismissed her difficulties with maths as her problem. Disgraceful. The local, secular, public school up here in Armidale sorted out the maths thing in 2 weeks (professional teachers are very good at that stuff).
Those three great staples of comedy never get old:
1) Monkeys. Monkeys are always funny.
2) Farting.
3) A bloke in a dress.
Seriously. Shouldn’t Pell be in jail or something?
David Rubie, what do you think of the dresses and wigs that lawyers wear in court? What do you think of the garments Rabbis wear?
Or are you just into anti-Catholic bigotry?
Goodness me wrote:
It’s all foolishness and artifice to me – I’m not bigoted, I laugh at all of them. If you’d like to defend Pell over his continual shifty position on the abuse of children in catholic schools, go ahead.
Pell can rightly be criticised for keeping his diocese outside the nationally agreed framework on response to sexual abuse by clerics.
Helen
Were you SERIOUS in posting that as an ARGUMENT? A RIPOSTE?
David Rubie
That’s great. Your children are fortunate to have a parent who takes such close interest in the quality of their education and choosing the right school for them. They are also fortunate that you are sufficiently well-off to be explore the choices availiable in your area. A choice denied most families.
I do not have children myself, that it is why I was merely reporting the anecdodtal experience of people I know who do have children. I do have friends (well one) who would not send their children to a private school even if the Spanish Inquisition tried to make them.
Even though I do not know you from Adam, would you mind if when I next recount my straw-poll, I use your example as the contra case?
John Greenfield wrote:
I don’t mind at all.
Cardinal Pell puts his case in the SMH:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/its-all-about-human-life-the-real-message-in-the-stem-cell-debate/2007/06/07/1181089240429.html
IS ALL human life equally precious? We should not be distracted from the elephant in the corner of the room. A huge diversionary tactic has been mounted to focus attention on hypothetical punishments for Catholic politicians by authoritarian bishops, and away from the destruction of human life.
Caring for the sick is a core business of the Catholic church, and so is supporting medical research. Research institutes around St Vincent’s Hospital make up one of the largest bio-medical research complexes in the southern hemisphere. In health care the Catholic church is a player, not a wrecker. We’ve been in this field for two millenniums, and we back healing and research with institutions, people and dollars.
Professor Alan Mackay Sim’s Queensland team of scientists working on nasal stem cell research for spinal cord injuries and Professor Pritinder Kaur’s team at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre working on using adult stem cells for burns victims are both supported by grants from the Sydney archdiocese.
Such adult stem cell has been much more productive than work on embryonic stem cells, which so far has proved to be a dead end. Little has been produced except massive grants for the researchers.