BY Ian Dunn | March 14 | 
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BBC accused of equating Catholic schools with sectarianism
The director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service has criticised the BBC for broadcasting a discussion that suggested Catholic schools were responsible for sectarianism.
Michael McGrath (above) was approached to appear on The Big Questions, a topical discussion programme hosted by Nicky Campbell on BBC One yesterday. He later complained to the programme makers after being told the title of the discussion would be ‘Has separate Catholic education fuelled sectarianism?’
“I am extremely concerned that your only contribution to the debate about sectarianism in Scotland is to ask the question: ‘Is Scottish sectarianism fuelled by faith schools?’ Of course, in Scotland the only faith schools are Catholic schools,” Mr McGrath said in a letter to the programme’s producers. “By linking the two issues-Catholic schools and sectarianism-you are legitimising the views of people who are themselves being sectarian when they proclaim (in defiance of all the available evidence) that the very existence of Catholic schools is the sources of or contributes to the blight of sectarianism.”
Mr McGrath said he found the whole incident regrettable.
“It is regrettable that the BBC would be party to a debate that is already pre-judged, as evidenced by your question,” he said. “One final thought for you: if Catholic schools are part of the problem, why is there no sectarianism in countries around the world where 50 million young people are taught in Catholic schools?”
After viewing the programme on Sunday Mr McGrath said he felt vindicated in his decision not to get involved with the production.
“The point should be made this is a company that has tried before to make an issues of this when they come up to Scotland,” he said. “Many of the participants were simply hostile to Catholicism and not interested in listening to others.”
Pic: Paul McSherry
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