Cardinal Pell Tackles Catholic Education

Of course the article attempts to slam Cardinal Pell for doing what really needs to be done:

THE Catholic Church wants to discourage non-Catholic families from enrolling their children in its schools under a return to strict religious values.

Church leaders headed by Cardinal George Pell yesterday issued an edict to all Catholic schools, demanding that students and their parents be more devout and outlining a plan to lure back thousands of poorer families who have left the system.

What shepherd would not desire and try to ensure that Catholic schools impart the true faith which they profess to believe and are supposed to teach? Is not one of the reasons parents elect to send children to Catholic schools that of instilling a devout and Catholic faith?

The edict also tells Catholic schools to increase the proportion of school staff who are "practising and knowledgeable Catholics".

If it takes an "edict" to accomplish these things, so be it - Unfortunately, it seems, an edict is something many people can understand - and at times, an "edict" is a necessity. And it is commendable and essential that teachers and staff be "practising and knowledgeable Catholics". How else would it be possible to impart the faith while providing a sound education? Certainly these things are not opposed to each other, except in the minds of those who oppose the Church and her ecclesiastical leaders.

In a rare pastoral letter, "Catholic Schools at a Crossroads", the Bishops of NSW and the ACT admit changes in enrolment patterns have "radically affected the composition and roles of the Catholic school. . .".

The letter, with Cardinal Pell as head signatory, said: "Half the students of Catholic families are enrolled in state schools and a growing proportion go to non-Catholic independent schools.

It's understandable here in the US for such trends as these, if Catholic schools are operating as secular institutions with a watered-down or non-existent religious component while demanding the payment of tuition.

Perhaps bishops in the US will take notice and do more to ensure that Catholic schools here become truly Catholic.