Madrid, Spain, Oct 18, 2007 / 09:40 am
“Responsible people and lovers of freedom, and of course Catholics, cannot accept” the controversial course Education for Citizenship, according to the Council of the Laity of Madrid.
According to a statement released by the Council, which is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Madrid, Education for Citizenship “is incompatible with the right of parents to morally educate their children”. It is intended to “form the consciences of students, establish a relativistic ethic and defend terms and concepts of gender ideology.”
In response to the obligation of students aged 10-17 to take the course, the Council noted that the Spanish bishops “have pointed out that the gravity of the situation does not leave room for passive and accommodating positions and they encourage us to act in a responsible and committed way,… to defend freedom of conscience and of education.”
The laity of the Archdiocese of Madrid expressed their support of proposals made by numerous family organizations that defend against the imposition of the course by appealing to the constitutional right of conscientious objection. The Council encouraged parents to make use of that right no matter if their children study in private or public schools.
“We think Catholic parents,” the statement continues, “should be the first to react in response to this attack on freedom and we would consider it a lack of solidarity with the rest of Spanish families if we did not do so just because the course may not be offered in one’s specific community or because Catholics schools have promised to adapt the course’s contents to their principles.”
The Council of the Laity called on families to “courageously assume their responsibility as the moral guides of their children and the transmitters of the faith, despite the difficulties that the Education for Citizenship course represents.”