A group of schools has warned parents of a “targeted attack” by the ABC it says is designed to smear them, the Church and the New South Wales Liberal Party as religious extremists. Source: Daily Telegraph.
The letter, signed by the principals of schools run by the Pared Foundation which includes Redfield College, which New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet attended, said next Monday’s episode of the ABC’s Four Corners “seems to be an attack on the Catholic faith and an attempt at damaging the political career of one of Redfield’s former students in the short lead-up to the 2023 NSW State Election in March.”
Promotional material for the episode, titled “Purity: An education in Opus Dei” and hosted by ABC journalist Louise Milligan, promises viewers an investigation into “the disturbing practices of the conservative Catholic organisation and its influence in the NSW Liberal Party”.
According to the letter to parents, the ABC put a series of detailed questions about their approach to a wide variety of issues to the schools on Tuesday, the same day a promotional trailer went up on the broadcaster’s website.
The ABC’s questions covered a wide range of subjects from abortion and homosexuality to whether people who commit suicide go to hell.
The school group provided detailed responses affirming that they followed both the NSW Government curriculum and the teachings of the Vatican.
An ABC spokesman said “there is nothing in the program that is an attack on the Catholic faith. It is purely about Opus Dei and its affiliated educational institutions”.
FULL STORY
Purity: An education in Opus Dei – ABC Four Corners program lashed by schools over Dominic Perrottet ‘smear campaign’ (By James Morrow, The Daily Telegraph)
