School Prayers Reignite Debate Over Croat Church's Power

A debate in Croatia on the role of the powerful Catholic Church has reopened as Catholic priests hold prayers for the new school year in a number of public schools.

However, the country's Science and Education Ministry says any decisions to invite clergy to bless the new school year in schools lie in the hands of school directors, the news site Index reported on Monday.

The ministry has emphasised also that children did not have to attend such ceremonies if they or their parents oppose it or are members of other religious communities.

Entire schools often attend mass or other services in church in Croatia before holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

Critics maintain that children from non-Catholic families often only attend the prayers because of peer pressure or because their parents do not wish their children to stand out.

Just over 86 per cent of people in Croatia define themselves as Catholics, and since independence from Yugoslavia Croatia has signed four concordats with the Holy See, in 1997 and 1998, one of which gave the Church a role in education.

While minority faiths also gained an opportunity to have courses taught in the school curriculum, in practice, these happen less often.

Under the concordats, religious education in public schools is incorporated into the regular class schedule, sometimes causing organisational problems for those pupils not attending them - less than 10 per cent in primary schools.

Since primary schools rarely offer an alternative for pupils not attending religious education classes, these children can end up spending the time during religious classes in libraries and school halls.

In some cases, such children remain present in religious education classes, but do...