Argentine bishop reiterates human sexuality’s link to love

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov 30, 2005 / 22:00 pm

“We value human sexuality as something very important, but we see it from the perspective of man. We believe sexuality is linked to love,” said Bishop Juan Ruben Martinez of Posadas, Argentina, explaining the Catholic position on a plan to establish sex-ed in schools across the country.

In statements published by the website Tierradeperiodistas.com, Bishop Martinez noted that the media “has a lot of money” and seeks to “ridicule” whatever does not coincide with the ideology of consumerism.

This type of journalism seeks to distort the Church’s position in alleging that “the Church is opposed to sexual education,” the bishop added, noting that “they make us look bad and they don’t let us explain the beauty of what we propose.”

Bishop Martinez said many issues needed to be considered with regards to human sexuality, such as intelligence, spirituality, the transcendent nature of man. “We believe sexuality is important, but we need to know how sex-ed would be handled, who would teach it, what and how it would be done,” he added.

The bishop also reiterated that parents are primarily responsible for the sexual education of their children and that the State has no right to strip them of such authority. He said lawmakers were in a rush to get the policy approved and that the issue ought to be debated and discussed in a democratic fashion.

Bishop Martinez likewise underscored that love is necessary in order for people to respect and look out for the good of one another, as opposed to the consumerist mentality, prevalent in soap operas and television programs, of viewing others as objects to be used.  He said society lacked the maturity to see in the media a tool for improving human relations and promoting the good of society.