Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Madrid (Agenzia Fides) - The new school year opened in Spain with the introduction of a new school subject 'Education to Citizenship', already in force in some Autonomous Communities. This highly controversial compulsory subject with its contents, objectives and criteria will influence the moral formation of pupils aged 10 to 18.
Cardinal Antonio Mª RoucoVarela, Archbishop of Madrid said, "this new school subject which claims to offer teaching on the human person and the moral principles which should guide human behaviour, leads to an inevitable, cultural and pedagogical devaluation of Catholic religious instruction of which they are denying not only the capacity to form a person in social morals, and this would alone would be serious, but also in personal morals". This is why the subject "puts many parents, necessarily anxious not to harm the good education of their children and alarmed that one of their most sacred rights should be questioned, in a delicate situation of conscience, which should be shared by every Church institution".
In a letter to his diocese Bishop José Sánchez of Sigüenza-Guadalajara, asked "what ideological orientation, what philosophy, which understanding of the human person, life, existence… is behind all this? Where does instruction, information, orientation end… and where does indoctrination and manipulation start? Is this a just law in all its contents, form and method?”
Despite much pressure, opposition to 'Education to Citizenship' (EPC) has become the largest movement of objection of conscience in the history of Europe, since the movement against military service, according to a study undertaken by the Spanish Family Forum and the Spanish Conscious Objection Observatory. o Information collected by Professionals for Ethics Association revealed that as many as 125 new conscious objectors are registered every day.
Yesterday Spain's national confederation of Catholic parents (CONCAPA) announced new measures against EPC and in favour of objection of conscience including: a network of lawyers to offer free legal advice to parents appeals against possible rejections of objection of conscience.. Luis Carbonell, CONCAPA president said the association intends to support conscious objection as a "legitimate" means to fight " Government usurping of parents' constitutional rights with regard to the education and formation of children". He said the Association would take its opposition to this subject to the European Human Rights Court, certain that this is a "matter of freedom". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 1/10/2007; righe 35, parole 471)
