Church calls for respect for culture of Argentineans in controversial sex-ed program

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov 18, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The Vicar of Education for the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Father Juan Alberto Torrella, took part in a meeting at the legislative offices of the city of Buenos Aires, during which he called for the government’s controversial sex-ed program “to include the beliefs and values of parents,” because “there is no such thing as neutral sex-ed, with neither beliefs nor values.”

“To educate and to be educated is to travel on a road to perfection, it is a process of humanization, and I would say in a Christian sense, of divinization,” said Father Torrella. 

“Behind all educational processes is a vision of what the human being is: it is not the same to conceive of him as pure matter, as a collection of feelings or as a biological-psychological-spiritual being.  These concepts all give way to educational styles, goals, different expectations and diverse ideals,” he added.

 “We cannot address sex-ed without knowing what I want to do with my life and who I am and what I am called to be.  All education,” he continued, “is governed by these criterions: What kind of human being do I wish to be? Why do I do what I do?”

Fr. Torrella pointed out that “it is absurd, counterproductive and anti-educational” to identify sex-ed with other technical and scientific aspects of sex.  “An authentic ‘formation’ is not limited to informing the intelligence, but rather it gives special attention to educating the will, the sentiments and the emotions towards love,” he added.

“We believe in integral sexual education that begins at home and continues throughout life, and we do not believe in magical solutions that you use and throw away and that only cover up our incapabalities and contradictions as a society.”

“We do not believe in the imposition of the State or of one sector over another imposing restrictions on freedom of conscience, whether that of parents in relation to their minor children or of any person.”

“We believe that parents have the right to not have their children forced to be in classes that are not in agreement with their moral and religious convictions.”