Chris Street comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow).
Pope Ratzinger said this week that governments are "morally obligated" to fund "faith-based schools". His latest outrageous remarks were made in greeting Francis Kim Ji-Young, the new ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Holy See.
"Faith-based schools have much to contribute," said Mr Ratzinger. "It is incumbent upon governments to afford parents the opportunity to send their children to religious schools by facilitating the establishment and financing of such institutions."
"Insofar as possible," he added, "public subsidies should free parents from undue financial burdens that attenuate their ability to choose the most suitable means of educating their children."
The Pope specified that he was referring not only to Catholic but also other "faith-based schooling", and
also insisted that governments allow religions the freedom to teach whatever they want in these establishments.
"Catholic and other religious schools should enjoy the appropriate latitude of freedom to design and implement curricula that nurture the life of the spirit without which the life of the mind is so seriously distorted," he said.
Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, said:
"The Vatican's relentless desire to brainwash children is revealed in the Pope's self-interested statement. It's clear that he regards religious schools not primarily as places of academic achievement but as the recruiting ground for the next generation of Catholics. And he insists that the taxpayers should fund it. The depressing thing is that the 'holy father's' parasitic plan for self-preservation is taken seriously in so many places."
19 October 2007
See also: 25% of parents would lie about religion to get their kids into a good school
