Senator: Parents not banging down my doors about removal of religion from schools

On a debate discussing the removal of religion from schools on Monday’s episode of Upfront with Katie Hannon, Fianna Fáil Senator Shane Cassells said that parents have never “banged down his door” voicing their concerns about religious education to him as a longstanding political representative.

Mr Cassells, who described himself as a practising “Roman Catholic”, said that as a parent of three young children, he hasn’t encountered other parents who feel that religious education should be solely provided in the home.

“I’m in politics a long time,” he said. “I’m 25 years elected and people are not banging down my door [about this] in respect to all of the issues I deal with on a weekly and daily basis. I’m also a dad of three young kids and I’m in the school yard a few times a week speaking to mums and dads.”

Mr Cassells reminded the guests that a sizeable number of parents are still opting for their children to receive the sacraments in schools and that without these available figures “you’d nearly believe that people very much didn’t want religion in schools any more”.

“I’m from the town of Navan – over 400 children received their sacraments from Bishop Deenihan,” he said. “There is very much an engagement. You’d nearly believe that people very much didn’t want religion in schools anymore.”