Moy school plans: Priest's offer to leave rejected

The plan would see the schools share a building but remain separate

A County Tyrone priest's offer to 'step aside' from his parish has been rejected.

Father John Connolly of Moy had offered to move due to his concerns over a plan for a new shared education campus.

It would see a Catholic and a controlled primary in the village share one building but remain separate schools.

However, Archbishop Eamon Martin has rejected Fr Connolly's offer to leave his parish.

There have been plans to relocate St John's Primary and Moy Regional Primary to one campus since 2014.

Fr Connolly had called for the two schools to be built in separate buildings alongside each other on a shared area of land.

He said there were concerns among some parents and teachers at St John's Primary that its character and ethos would be lost if the 'one building' plan went ahead.

He also said that some parents would prefer "a fully integrated school to the proposal being offered".

'Spectrum of opinion'

He acknowledged, however, that there was a "spectrum of opinion" in the local community over the proposal and offered to step aside "if my ongoing involvement is a barrier to the resolution of these issues".

In a short statement to BBC News NI, the Catholic Communications Office said Archbishop Martin "declined Father Connolly's request as he saw no reason to accept it".

Fr Connolly told his congregation in the Church of St John the Baptist in Moy of the archbishop's decision at a weekend service.

BBC News NI understands Fr Connolly received a round of applause from parishioners when he told them he would not be leaving.

According to some of those at the service he also said that the Department of Education (DE) would now carry out more consultation in Moy on the way ahead for the campus proposal.