Church-run schools need public financial support, Vatican envoy says

(July 11, 2011) A Vatican official praised church-run schools as valuable components of modern education, saying they deserve public financial support and must not be muzzled on moral issues. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva addressed a UN meeting last week, saying educational systems work best when they include participation by parents and various elements of civil society, including religious organizations. In order for that to work, he said, "public financial resources must be made available in order to assure fairness" for those promoting alternative educational programs. In carrying out its educational role, the state "should respect the choices that parents make for their children and avoid attempts at ideological indoctrination," Archbishop Tomasi said. He cited the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which defends the freedom of parents to choose non-public schools and ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.