Xavier muck up

It is good to see that Archbishop Denis Hart is getting actively involved in repairing the damage of the muck up day by Xavier students in Melbourne.

You can talk all you like about youthful enthusiasm getting carried away, and people being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but this is scandalous and shameful behaviour. Apparently one of the boys in year 12 has been regularly bullied, and what sends a chill down my spine is the comment from some of his classmates that he was laughing and enjoyed it. This really is "Lord of the Flies" stuff.

IMHO, the important thing is not just finding the culprits now, but asking what happened (or didn't happen) 10 years ago to cause this behaviour. By chance, a couple of days ago, I saw a large truck trailer in the local public school which is the Life Education  programme in public schools, and this goes to Catholic and independent schools as well. Life education teaches children in primary schools about dangers of drugs, smoking and alcohol. I believe it uses testimonials by celebrities and survivors, and probably is based on a practical harm minimisation ethic.

I would hope that in a Catholic school, the teaching would also involve ideas of rising above "delights" (such as they are) of the flesh, the virtues of self-control and wisdom, giving honour to God and service to our neighbours. I don't have any knowledge of what has happened at Xavier, but my fear is that humanist Healthy Harold from life education is not taken seriously enough, and neither is religious education at the schools. I hope my fear is unfounded, because otherwise, there is a time bomb ticking away in the Catholic education system.