Spanish cardinal slams ideologies “that seek to wrench God from heart of man”

Madrid, Spain, Apr 17, 2007 / 08:56 am

The Archbishop of Toledo and Vice President of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares has renewed his opposition to the course Education for Citizenship which Spanish law is requiring be taught in schools next fall saying, “We are risking a lot with these ideologies that seek to wrench the vision of the creator God from the heart of man.”

During a day-long meeting organized by the Archdiocese of Toledo to study the Education for Citizenship course, the Cardinal said the issue was of utmost importance and “affects our society both today and in the future.”  He warned that the course would “impose a moral relativism and ideology of gender” that demands “responsible and devoted consideration.”

The Cardinal said Spaniards were rightly alarmed about the course and he called for clarity in social, moral, and anthropological concepts.

The problem with “Education for Citizenship,” he added, “is not one issue or another within the course, it’s the underlying vision of man,” and that from the beginning the bishops have expressed their concern with the material.

After the Cardinal finished his remarks, Jaime Urcelay, President of Professionals for Ethics, called the matter one of “utmost gravity” that has been the subject of “polemics, controversy and social alarm” since 2004.

In his judgment, Education for Citizenship will disrupt Spanish society during a “delicate moment” in which the issue of freedom of education has yet to be resolved and schools are facing a profound crisis of authority.