RC bishop faces storm over views on hiring gay teachers

Published on Saturday 26 March 2005 02:03

A SPLIT emerged in the Catholic Church last night after a senior education figure rejected a bishop’s claims that homosexuals should not be allowed to teach in faith schools.

Michael McGrath, director of the Catholic Education Service (CES), dismissed claims last weekend by Bishop Joseph Devine that being a homosexual teacher "would not at all be compatible" with Church teachings.

Bishop Devine, who is president of the CES and Bishop of Motherwell, said the Charter for Catholic Schools - a mission statement specifying exactly what the church expects from schools and teachers - made it clear that openly gay people could not teach in Catholic schools.

He said: "Being homosexual... would cut across the whole moral vision enshrined in the charter. It would be offering a lifestyle incompatible with Catholic social teaching."

Bishop Devine said the charter provided the framework to make sure gays were not employed in Catholic schools, and probably would limit the promotion opportunities of those already employed.

He said: "In practice, I would think it is possible that some may have been hired, but [the schools] may not have known until it was too late.

"That’s our fault for not making the proper checks and references. The charter tightens it up."

But speaking to the Times Educational Supplement, Mr McGrath said the Church "has no interest in the sexual orientation of any teacher and it is not an issue of relevance to the Church".

When asked whether he was comfortable with gays teaching in Catholic schools he replied: "Yes."

Frances Gilpin, president of the Catholic Headteachers’ Association of Scotland, added that the charter was "not designed to exclude, and it is unfortunate that it is being seen in that way".

George Haggarty, the head of St John’s High School in Dundee, said candidates for teaching posts must pass the test of their "religious belief and character".

"But the important thing is not to judge the person but to judge the contribution he or she can make to the Catholic school," he said.

Bishop Devine’s comments were greeted with widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, with the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) describing them as "very sad". Judith Gillespie, of the SPTC, said: "His comments are worse than unfair, and it reflects on the Church that it wants to reject a group of people who are not choosing their lifestyle."

Jack McConnell, the First Minister, entered the row on Thursday when he told MSPs that teachers should be chosen on their ability, not on the basis of their sexuality.

Speaking at the weekly First Minister’s Questions session, Mr McConnell said: "Local authorities cannot discriminate against teachers solely on the grounds of sexual orientation in faith schools or any other schools.

"And can I make clear that teachers in Scotland’s schools should be chosen on their ability in the classroom, not on their personal relationships."

He added: "Schools in Scotland should be choosing their teachers on the basis of those teachers’ abilities to impart knowledge to young people, to inspire confidence and a desire for learning in young people and to ensure that in the classroom they conduct themselves in the most professional manner."

The Rev Ewan Aitken, education spokesman for the local authority umbrella group COSLA, said: "Local authorities would never countenance discriminating against a teacher because of sexual orientation. Councils would be in court in seconds."

Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP, said: "The CES is in an interesting situation because it does not employ the teachers in Catholic schools.

"It would be absolutely outrageous for an employer to pry into their employees’ private lives in this way. The CES should acknowledge that Catholic school teachers’ sex lives are none of its business."

Tim Hopkins, of the Equality Network, said it would be illegal for Catholic schools to turn away gay teachers.

He said: "To deny a promotion or not to hire a gay teacher is a clear breach of employment regulations. It also would create an intimidating working environment for those gay teachers already working in the sector."