British religious leaders agree to teach many faiths in schools

Published: 2006-02-24

LONDON (CNS) -- In an attempt to spread tolerance among people of different religions, English and Welsh bishops have publicly committed themselves to ensuring that children in Catholic schools are taught about non-Christian faiths. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, England, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, signed an agreement with other faith leaders as part of an initiative by the British government's Department for Education and Skills to address the failure of some faith schools to teach about religions other than their own. In a Feb. 22 statement, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Evangelical, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist schools committed to supporting the National Framework for Religious Education, introduced in 2004 but not legally binding. In the statement, the leaders said that teaching about a range of faiths enabled children to "develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faith and beliefs are different from their own."

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