Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, Archbishop of Caracas, and Bishop Angel Divassón of Puerto Ayacucho president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Commission for Education recently presented a memorandum to the government calling for amendments to the new Education Law to guarantee the basic rights of children in the field of education. The amendments requested refer to the concept of “secular education”, that should be different from “atheist education”, adding “respect for transcendent and spiritual values” and guaranteeing families the human and constitutional right for children to receive a religious education RE as part of the school curriculum.
Among other things the Church requests: a rectification of the concept of State Teacher giving parents first place in education of their children, guaranteeing freedom of teaching and choice of school including state subsidy to education of quality, exact definition of the role of the communities organised within the educational communities, elimination of the proposal for one student organisation at all levels and modalities.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Venezuela through its vice president Archbishop Roberto Lückert León, had already asked the government to respect RE in schools rejecting the proposal to annul RE presented in the new draft Bill. Archbishop Roberto Lückert said "school programmes of religious education are a support for the educational work of parents" and that the government’s proposal tends to restrict formation to religious values only to the family. In March the Bishops’ Conference issued a statement on the discussion raised by the new Education Law, recalling that "it is the duty of the State to facilitate knowledge and free practice of the religion which, in conscience, citizens decide to profess" (R.G.) (Agenzia Fides 20/6/2006; righe 24, parole 305)
