By Judie Brown
The Vatican’s sex education program entitled The Meeting Point seems to have collided head on into parental rights right here in the United States.
In the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, Bishop David Choby has “explicitly refused to allow parents to opt their kids out of a diocesan-run school’s” sex education program. The program in question is part of the curriculum at Father Ryan High School and a requirement for graduation. It prompted one grandmother of 25, Mary Ann Kreitzer, to sound the alarm to the followers of her blog, writing to Bishop Choby, “I find it difficult to believe that you are aware of what is included. If you are, in fact, aware and allowing the program regardless I can only conclude there is something seriously amiss in the diocese.”
We are in full agreement with Kreitzer’s perspective on the matter.
And to make matters worse, Choby is reported to have written a letter to parents who object to this program. According to LifeSiteNews:
In a letter dated September 2, Bishop David Choby of the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, told parents opposing the sex-ed program that while he “wholeheartedly support[s]” their right as “primary educator,” nevertheless, when they send their children to school, they no longer exercise that right when it comes to school “requirements.”
“Thus, in choosing Father Ryan High School as the place to engage your son in formal education, you have agreed to observe its legitimate requirements relating to the ultimate goal of your son receiving a diploma from the school,” the letter, obtained by LifeSiteNews, states.
The tragedy in all this is, of course, that the conflict could have easily been avoided in the first place if the Vatican had never put the force of its name behind a sex education program that does not defend the rights of parents to be the primary educators of their children.
This latest Catholic fiasco puts a fine point on the argument American Life League has driven home: that parents should be totally immersed in the education of their children. This assertion was enunciated by Saint John Paul II who taught that “sex education, which is a basic right and duty of parents, must always be carried out under their attentive guidance, whether at home or in educational centers chosen and controlled by them.”
While we cannot know what inspired the Vatican to go off the rails and ignore the consistent teachings of the Church over the past 2000 years, we can understand what we as Catholics should be doing. We have an obligation to speak out, in love and charity, and ask our bishops and the Holy Father to rethink their foray into a sacred area reserved to parents alone. Sex education is not the mission of the hierarchy; forming us in the faith according to Christ’s teachings is their mission, and that in turn prepares us to be the parents God expects of us.
Recall these words that St. John Paul II addressed specifically to parents: “By word and example, in the daily round of relations and choices, and through concrete actions and signs, parents lead their children to authentic freedom, actualized in the sincere gift of self, and they cultivate in them respect for others, a sense of justice, cordial openness, dialogue, generous service, solidarity and all the other values which help people to live life as a gift. In raising children Christian parents must be concerned about their children’s faith and help them to fulfil the vocation God has given them.”
Therein lies the antidote. Parents must be affirmed. Express your thoughts and feelings about this program by taking action. Sign the petition urging Pope Francis to end the madness and denounce the infamous Meeting Point sex education program. And then visit our Culture of Life Studies Program website for educational materials that affirm the dignity of all human beings, that adhere to the teachings of our Catholic faith, and that will inspire your family each and every day.