Catholic forum for sex education classes in Catechism classes

Mangalore, 07 Jan 2013 (TOI): Hailing the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church’s ’Enlight,’ sex education initiative for eighth-grade catechism students, Mumbai-based community NGO Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) has called upon the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI) to issue an advisory for the same to be followed in all the dioceses of India.

 

Joseph Dias, General Secretary of CSF said:This is in the light of increased reports of sexual abuse, crimes against women and protect especially minors.

 

In a letter to CBCI president Cardinal Oswald Gracias on Monday, Dias stated: Christian children generally attend catechism classes almost every Sunday for the ten years that they are in school. This is the right time to educate them on sexuality, especially in the light of the internet and widespread media reports on abuse or deviant sexual behaviour.

 

He said as CBCI is an apex body of different rites hence its advisory could be followed by the dioceses. The ’Enlight’ programme lays stress on checking the abuse of social networking and the evil of teenage sex chatting, by exposing the risks.

 

Dias noted that Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese has day-long sessions, handled by psychologists and counselors using audio-visual aids, introduce children to the Christian concept of sexuality and human body, scientific analysis of the functioning of sexual organs, puberty, biological changes in the body of a teenager and man-woman sexual attraction. There is also a specific segment that deals with social networking traps and mobile phone abuse. Joseph Dias also said: children were confused as a result of new concepts like homosexuality, gay marriages, pre-marital sex, contraception, abortion, incest and rape. There is need to explain the Church’s stand on these topics before children leave school and it’s too late. Sexuality is a gift of God, which must be used in the context of marriage and it is the responsibility of the Church to educate children in the secondary onwards on it.’’