Slow pace of change is ‘depressing’ - President Higgins on education

THE old Jesuit motto — “give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man”— was attributed to that order’s co-founder Francis Xavier and, for many decades, it encapsulated an idea, and the practice, central to the perpetuation of Catholic dominance in this society. 

That idea, and the near absolute control of our education system, and the enthusiastic participation of the vast majority of citizens, meant that Ireland was something close to a Catholic caliphate.

That, as Pope Francis will discover if he visits Ireland in two years’ time, is no longer the case. This has become a much kinder, a much more inclusive, a far more diverse, and possibly a more loving and honest society. Just this weekend we marked the first anniversary of the marriage equality amendment and, even if that advance is balanced by the situation where many religiously à la carte — at best — parents see their child’s first Communion as a social event or a passport to a local school and, even if they are more worried about the catering than the commitment made, change is afoot.