Pilgrim housing in public schools rejected

By Dennis Long

Federation wrote to NSW Premier Morris Iemma on December 13 asking him to reconsider his Government's plan to house 30,000 Catholic pilgrims in public schools during the second week of the July vacation in 2008.

The housing plan is in support of World Youth Day Sydney 2008, a week of events organised by the Catholic Church. Federation has been briefed by the Department of Education and Training on the plan to use public schools for dormitory-style accommodation.

Federation has objected to under-funded public schools being subject to cost and disruption for a religious event and said that Catholic schools, churches and church halls would be more appropriate.

World Youth Day is to be held in Sydney July 15-20 and will include a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI. The last World Youth Day was held in Cologne in 2005 with an estimated 800,000 people attending the final Mass.

On December 20, the union wrote to Federation Representatives and principals in metropolitan schools advising them of Federation's concerns about what is "essentially a Catholic Church event".

Dennis Long is the Editor.

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