Skip to content

We ask you, urgently: don’t scroll past this

Dear readers, Catholic Online was de-platformed by Shopify for our pro-life beliefs. They shut down our Catholic Online, Catholic Online School, Prayer Candles, and Catholic Online Learning Resources—essential faith tools serving over 1.4 million students and millions of families worldwide. Our founders, now in their 70's, just gave their entire life savings to protect this mission. But fewer than 2% of readers donate. If everyone gave just $5, the cost of a coffee, we could rebuild stronger and keep Catholic education free for all. Stand with us in faith. Thank you.

Help Now >

A brave move

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

Tory is proposing nothing terribly radical. He is arguing only that adherents to religions other than Catholic should be given a chance to educate their children by tapping into the existing public school system. Those schools, while permeated by their particular beliefs, would have to abide by the same provincial standards in curriculum and their teachers would have to meet the same quality criteria as those in the other publicly funded schools, whether Catholic or not.

Tory has not yet fleshed out the details on whether the new religious schools would gain access to public funds through the public boards or Catholic boards, but both options have pros and cons. At the very least, his proposal seems to be in keeping with the longstanding position of the Ontario Catholic bishops: that parents of various religions have the right to access public funds to have their children educated in faith-based schools.

The Conservative proposal will be tested in the upcoming provincial election. In the meantime, it has garnered backing from those parents who have fought long and hard to obtain public funding for their own faith-based schools. And it has received a flood of negative comment from pretty much everyone else.

Some of this is to be expected. The never-ending letters to the editor in the daily press, along with the editorial cartoons and the attacks from opposing politicians all chant the same refrain: non-religious public school systems bring together children of all faith and backgrounds and help them develop a better understanding of each other and have a deeper appreciation for diversity. Religious schools instill bigotry and prejudice. It is a theory as old as education in Ontario and it has been proven wrong time and again.

In fact, Ontario's premier, Dalton McGuinty, is proof positive that the old saw about Catholic education is a myth. A product of the Catholic schools (and coincidentally, married to a Catholic school teacher), McGuinty is proud of his sensitivity to all of Ontario's rich diversity. In fact, in other circumstances he could be criticized for being overly solicitous of the diversity arguments. But that is an editorial for another day.

Considering McGuinty's own background, his defense of the current system has been rather milquetoast. Rather than simply arguing that he is saddled with the constitutional reality of Catholic education, he should be lauding its positive contribution to the common good in this province.

Then he should lead the Liberals to their own education policy that recognizes the value of both religious and ethnic diversity.

- - -

Joseph Sinasac is the publisher and editor of The Catholic Register.

Contact

The Catholic Register
http://www.catholicregister.org ,
Joseph Sinasac - ,

Email

Keywords

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Advent / Christmas 2024

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.