SACRED CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL GUIDANCE IN HUMAN LOVE
Outlines for sex education
INTRODUCTION
1. The harmonious development of the human person progressively reveals in each
of us the image of a child of God. " True education aims at the formation
of the human person with respect to his ultimate goal ".(1) Treating
christian education, Vatican Council II drew attention to the necessity of
offering " a positive and prudent sex education " to children and
youth.(2)
The Congregation for Catholic Education, within the sphere of its competence, considers
it proper to make its contribution for the application of the Conciliar
Declarations, as some Episcopal Conferences have done already.
2. This document, drawn up with the help of
educational experts and submitted to wide consultation, sets itself a precise
objective: to examine the pedagogic aspect of sex education, indicating
appropriate guidelines for the integral formation of a christian, according to
the vocation of each.
Also, though it does not make explicit citations at
every turn, it always presupposes the doctrinal principles and moral norms
pertaining to the matter as proposed by the Magisterium.
3. The Congregation for Catholic Education is aware of the cultural and social
differences existing in different countries. These guidelines, therefore, should
be adapted by the respective Episcopates to the pastoral necessities of each
local Church.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SEXUALITY
4. Sexuality is a fundamental component of personality, one of its modes of
being, of manifestation, of communicating with others, of feeling, of expressing
and of living human love. Therefore it is an integral part of the development of
the personality and of its educative process: " It is, in fact, from sex
that the human person receives the characteristics which, on the biological,
psychological and spiritual levels, make that person a man or a woman, and
thereby largely condition his or her progress towards maturity and insertion
into society ".(3)
5. Sexuality characterises man and woman not only on the physical level, but
also on the psychological and spiritual, making its mark on each of their
expressions. Such diversity, linked to the complementarity of the two sexes,
allows thorough response to the design of God according to the vocation to which
each one is called.
Sexual intercourse, ordained towards procreation, is the maximum expression on
the physical level of the communion of love of the married. Divorced from this
context of reciprocal gift - a reality which the christian enjoys, sustained and
enriched in a particular way by the grace of God it loses its significance,
exposes the selfishness of the individual, and is a moral disorder.(4)
6. Sexuality, oriented, elevated and integrated by
love acquires truly human quality. Prepared by biological and psychological
development, it grows harmoniously and is achieved in the full sense only with
the realisation of affective maturity, which manifests itself in unselfish love
and in the total gift of self.
THE ACTUAL SITUATION
7. One can see - among christians, too - that there are notable differences with
regard to sex education. In today's climate of moral disorientation a danger
arises, whether of a harmful conformism or prejudice which falsifies the
intimate nature of being human, ushered whole from the hands of the Creator.
8. In order to respond to such a situation one looks
for a suitable sex education from every source. But if the conviction of its
necessity is fairly widely held in theory, in practice there remain
uncertainties and significant differences, either with regard to the persons and
institutions who must assume the educational responsibility, or in connection
with , the contents and methodologies.
9. Educators and parents are often aware of not
being sufficiently prepared to impart adequate sex education. The school is not
always in a position to offer that integral vision of the matter which would
remain incomplete with the scientific information alone.
10. Particular difficulties are found in those
countries where the urgency of the problem is not recognised, or where perhaps
it is thought that it resolves itself without specific education.
11. In general, there is need to recognise that one
treats of a difficult undertaking by reason of the complexity of the diverse
elements (physical, psychological, pedagogic, socio-cultural, juridical, moral
and religious) which come together in educational action.
12. Some catholic organisations in different parts -
with the approval and encouragement of the local Episcopate - have begun to
carry out a positive work of sex education; it is directed not only to help
children and adolescents on the way to psychological and spiritual maturity, but
also and above all to protect them from the dangers of ignorance and widespread
degradation.
13. Also praiseworthy are the efforts of many who,
with scientific seriousness, dedicate themselves to study the problem, moving
from the human sciences and integrating the results of such research in a
project which conforms with human dignity, a project by the light of the
Gospel.
DECLARATIONS OF THE MAGISTERIUM
14. The Magisterium's declarations on sex education
mark out a course which satisfies the just requirements of history on the one
hand and fidelity to tradition on the other.(5)
Vatican Council II in the " Declaration on
Christian Education " presents the perspective in which sex education must
be set,(6) affirming the right of young people to receive an education adequate
to their personal requirements.
The Council states: " With the help of advances
in psychology and in the art and science of teaching, children and young people
should be assisted in the harmonious development of their physical, moral and
intellectual endowments. Surmounting hardships with a gallant and steady heart,
they should be helped to acquire gradually a more mature sense of responsibility
towards ennobling their own lives through constant effort, and toward pursuing
authentic freedom. As they advance in years they should be given positive and
prudent sex education ".(7)
15. The Pastoral Constitution " Gaudium et spes
", in speaking of the dignity of marriage and the family presents the
latter as the preferential place for the education of young people in chastity.(8)
But since this is an aspect of education as a whole, the co-operation of
teachers with parents is needed in the accomplishment of their mission.(9) Such
education, therefore, must be offered within the family to children and
adolescents in a gradual manner, always considering the total formation of the
person (10)
16. In the Apostolic Exhortation on the mission of
the christian family in the world as it is, John Paul II reserves an important
place to sex education as valuable to the person. " Education to love as
self giving, says the Holy Father, also constitutes the indispensable premise
for parents called to offer their children a clear and delicate sex education.
Faced with a culture which largely reduces human sexuality to the level of
something commonplace, since it interprets and lives it in a reductive and
impoverished way by linking it solely with the body and with selfish pleasure,
the educational service of parents must aim firmly at a training in the area of
sex that is truly and fully personal: for sexuality is an enrichment of the
whole person - body, emotions and soul - and manifests its inmost meaning in
leading the person to the gift of self in love ".(11)
17. The Holy Father immediately goes on to speak of
the school, which is responsible for this education in service of and in harmony
with parents. " Sex education, which is a basic right and duty of parents,
must also be carried out under their attentive guidance, whether at home or in
educational centres chosen and controlled by them. In this regard, the Church
reaffirms the law of subsidiarity, which the school is bound to observe when it
cooperates in sex education, by entering into the same spirit that animates the
parents ".(12)
In order for the value of sexuality to reach its
full realisation, " education for chastity is absolutely essential,
for it is a virtue that develops a person's authentic maturity and makes him or
her capable of respecting and fostering the "nuptial meaning " of the
body ".(13) It consists in self control, in the capacity of guiding the
sexual instinct to the service of love and of integrating it in the development
of the person. Fruit of the grace of God and of our cooperation, chastity tends
to harmonise the different components of the human person, and to overcome the
frailty of human nature, marked by sin, so that each person can follow the
vocation to which God has called.
In the commitment to an enlightened education in
chastity, "Christian parents, discerning the signs of God's call, will
devote special attention and care to education in virginity or celibacy as the
supreme form of that self giving that constitutes the very meaning of human
sexuality " (14)
19. In the teaching of John Paul II, the positive
consideration of values, which one ought to discover and appreciate,
precedes the norm which one must not violate. This norm, nevertheless,
interprets and formulates the values for which people must strive.
" In view of the close links between the sexual
dimension of the person and his or her ethical values, education must bring the
children to a knowledge of and respect for the moral norms as the necessary and
highly valuable guarantee for responsible personal growth in human sexuality.
For this reason the Church is firmly opposed to an often widespread form of
imparting sex information dissociated from moral principles. That would merely
be an introduction to the experience of pleasure and a stimulus leading to the
loss of serenity - while still in the years of innocence - by opening the way to
vice ".(15)
20. This document, therefore, starting from the
christian vision of man and woman and appealing to the principles enunciated
recently by the Magisterium, desires to present to educators some fundamental
guidelines for sex education and for the conditions and mode of presenting it at
the operative level.
I.
SOME FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
21. Every type of education is inspired by a specific conception of man and
woman. Christian education aims to promote the realisation of man and woman
through the development of all their being, incarnate spirits, and of the gifts
of nature and of grace by which they are enriched by God. Christian education is
rooted in the faith which " throws a new light on all things and makes
known the full ideal which God has set for man ".(16)
CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF SEXUALITY
22. In the christian vision of man and woman, a particular
function of the body is recognised, because it contributes to the revealing of
the meaning of life and of the human vocation. Corporeality is, in fact, a
specific mode of existing and operating proper to the human spirit: This
significance is first of all of an anthropological nature: the body reveals
man,(17) " expresses the person " (18) and is therefore the first
message of God to the same man and woman, almost a species of "
primordial sacrament, understood as a sign which efficaciously transmits in
the visible world the invisible mystery hidden in God from all eternity "
.(19)
23. There is a second significance of a theological nature:
the body contributes to revealing God and his creative love, in as much as it
manifests the creatureliness of man and woman, whose dependence bestows a
fundamental gift, which is the gift of love. " This is the body: a
witness to creation as a fundamental gift, and so a witness to love as the
source from which this same giving springs ".(20)
24. The body, in as much as it is sexual, expresses the
vocation of man and woman to reciprocity, which is to love and to the mutual
gift of self.(21) The body, in short, calls man and woman to the constitutive
vocation to fecundity as one of the fundamental meanings of their being sexual.(22)
25.
The sexual distinction, which appears as a determination of human
being, is diversity, but in equality of nature and dignity.(23)
The human person, through his or her intimate nature, exists in relation to
others, implying a reciprocity of love. The sexes are complementary: similar
and dissimilar at the same time; not identical, the same, though, in dignity
of person; they are peers so that they may mutually understand each other,
diverse in their reciprocal completion.
26. Man and woman constitute two modes
of realising, on the part of the human creature, a determined
participation in the Divine Being: they are created in
the " image and likeness of God " and they fully accomplish such
vocation not only as single persons, but also as couples, which are
communities of love.(25) Oriented to unity and fecundity, the married man and
woman participate in the creative love of God, living in communion with Him
through the other.(26)
27
The presence of sin obscures original innocence, rendering less easy to
man and woman the perception of these truths: their decipherment has
become an ethical task, the object of a difficult engagement entrusted
to man and woman: " After original sin the man and the woman will lose
the grace of original innocence. The discovery of the nuptial meaning
of the body will cease to be for them a simple reality of revelation
and of grace. This meaning will remain as a commitment given to man by
the ethos of the gift, inscribed in the depths of the human heart, as a
distant echo of original innocence "(27)
Faced with this capacity of the body to be at the same
time sign and instrument of ethical vocation, one can establish an analogy
between the body itself and sacramental economy, which is the concrete
means through which grace and salvation reach us.
28. Since men and women in their
time have been inclined to reduce sexuality to genital experience alone, there
have been reactions tending to devalue sex, as though by its nature men and
women were defiled by it. These present guidelines intend to oppose such
devaluation.
29. " It is only in the Mystery of the Word made flesh that the
mystery of man truly becomes clear",(28) and human existence acquires its
full meaning in the vocation to the divine life. Only by following Christ does
man respond to this vocation and become so fully man, growing finally to
reach the perfect man in the measure approaching the full maturity of Christ.(29)
30. In the light of the Mystery of Christ, sexuality appears to us as a
vocation to realise that love which the Holy Spirit instills in the hearts of
the redeemed. Jesus Christ has enriched such vocation with the Sacrament of
Marriage.
31. Furthermore, Jesus has pointed out by word and example the vocation
to virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.(30) Virginity is a vocation
to love: it renders the heart more free to love God.(31) Free of the duties of
conjugal love,
the virgin heart can feel, therefore, more disposed to the gratuitous
love of one's brothers and sisters.
In consequence, virginity for the sake
of the kingdom of heaven better expresses the gift of Christ to the
Father on behalf of us and prefigures with greater precision the reality
of eternal life, all substantiated in charity.(32)
Virginity, certainly is
a renunciation of the form of love which typifies marriage, but committed to
undertaking in greater profundity the dynamism, inherent in sexuality, of
self-giving openness to others. It seeks to obtain its strengthening and
transfiguring by the presence of the Spirit, who teaches us to love the
Father and the brethren, after the example of the Lord Jesus.
32. In synthesis,
sexuality is called to express different values to which specific
moral exigencies correspond. Oriented towards interpersonal
dialogue, it contributes to the integral maturation of people, opening them to
the gift of self in love; furthermore, tied to the order of creation, to
fecundity and to the transmission of life, it is called to be faithful to this
inner purpose also. Love and fecundity are meanings and values of sexuality
which include and summons each other in turn, and cannot therefore be
considered as either alternatives or opposites.
33. The affective life,
proper to each sex, expresses itself in a characteristic mode in the different states of life: conjugal union, consecrated
celibacy chosen for the sake of the kingdom, the condition of the christian
who has not yet reached marriage, or who remains celibate, or who has chosen
to remain such. In all these cases the affective life must be gathered and
integrated in the human person.
NATURE, PURPOSE AND MEANS OF SEX EDUCATION
34. A fundamental objective of this education is an adequate
knowledge of the nature and importance of sexuality and of the
harmonious and integral development of the person towards
psychological maturity, with full spiritual maturity in view, to which all
believers are called.(33)
To this end, the christian educator will remember the principles of
faith and the different methods of educational aid, taking account of
the positive evaluation which actual pedagogy makes of sexuality.
35. In the christian
anthropological perspective, affective-sex education must consider the
totality of the person and insist therefore on the integration of the
biological, psycho-affective, social and spiritual elements. This integration
has become more difficult because the believer also bears the consequences of
sin from the beginning.
A true " formation ", is not limited to the
informing of the intellect, but must pay particular attention to the will, to
feelings and emotions. In fact, in order to move to maturation in
affective-sexual life, self control is necessary, which presupposes such
virtues as modesty, temperance, respect for self and for others, openness to
one's neighbour.
All this is not possible if not in the power of the salvation
which comes from Jesus Christ.
36. Also, if the modes are diverse which sexuality
assumes in single people, education must first of all promote that mafiurity
which " entails not only accepting sex as part of the totality of human
values, but also seeing it as giving a possibility for " offering ",
that is, a capacity for giving pure love, altruistic love. When such a
capacity is sufficiently acquired, an individual becomes capable of spontaneous
contacts, emotional self control and commitment of his free will ".(34)
37. Contemporary pedagogy of christian inspiration sees in the person being
educated, considered in all his or her totality and complexity, the principle
subject of education. He or she must be helped to develop capacities for good,
above all in a trustworthy relationship. This is very easily forgotten when
excessive weight is given to simple information, at the expense of other
dimensions of sex education. In education, in fact, a knowledge of new notions
is of utmost importance, but enlivened by the assimilation of corresponding
values and by a lively grasp of understanding of the personal responsibilities
associated with entry into adulthood.
38. Given the repercussions which sexuality has in the
whole person, it is necessary that multiple aspects be kept in mind: conditions of health, the influence of the family and the
social environment, impressions received and the reactions, of the
pupil, education of the will, and the degree of development of spiritual
life sustained with the help of grace.
39. All that has been stated so far
serves educators in helping and guiding the formation of
personality in the young. They must stimulate them to a critical reflection
on received impressions, and, while they propose values, must give testimony
of an authentic spiritual life, both personal and communal.
40. Having seen the
close links existing between morality and sexuality, it is
necessary that the knowledge of moral norms be accompained by clear
motivation, so as to bring a sincere personal adherence to maturity.
41. Contemporary pedagogy has full consciousness of the fact that
human life is characterised by a constant evolution and that personal formation
is a permanent process. This
is also according to age true for sexuality, which expresses itself with
particular characteristics in the different phases of life. It evidently
brings riches and notable difficulties at every stage of maturation.
42. Educators will have to bear in mind the fundamental stages of such
evolution: the primitive instinct, which in the beginning is manifested
in a rudimentary state, meets in its turn the ambivalence of good and
evil. Then with the help of education, the feelings are stabilised and
at the same time augment the sense of responsibility. Gradually
selfishness is eliminated, a certain asceticism is stabilised, others
are accepted and loved for themselves, the elements of sexuality are
integrated: genitality, eroticism, love and charity. Also if the result
is not always fully attained, they are more numerous than may be
thought who come near the goal to which they aspire.
43. Christian educators are persuaded that sex
education is realised in full in the context of faith.
Incorporated by Baptism into the Risen Christ, the
christian knows that his or her body, too, has been vivified and purified by
the Spirit which Jesus communicates.(35)
Faith in the
mystery of the Risen Christ, which through his Spirit actualises and prolongs
in the faithful the paschal mystery, uncovers in the believer the vocation to
the resurrection of the flesh, already begun thanks to the Spirit who dwells
in the just as pledge and seed of the total and definitive resurrection.
44. The
disorder provoked by sin, present and operating in the individual as well as
in the culture which characterises society, exercises a strong pressure to
conceive and live sexuality in a manner opposed to the law of Christ,
according to that which St. Paul called the law of sin.(36) At times, economic
structures, state laws, mass media and systems of life in the great metropoloi
are factors which negatively impinge on people. Christian education takes note
of this and indicates guidelines for responsibly opposing such influences.
45.
This constant endeavour is sustained and rendered possible by divine
grace through the Word of God received in faith, through prayer and
through participation in the sacraments. In first place is the
Eucharist, communion with Christ in the same act as his sacrifice,
where effectively the young believer finds the bread of life as
viaticum in order to face and overcome the obstacles on his or her
earthly pilgrimage. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, through the grace
that is proper to it and with the help of spiritual direction, not only
reinforces the capacity for resistance to evil but also gives the
courage to pick oneself up after a fall.
These sacraments
are offered and celebrated in the ecclesial community. Those who are vitally
involved in such community draw from the sacraments the strength to realise a
chaste life, according to their state.
46 Personal and community prayer is the
indispensable means for obtaining from God the necessary strength to keep
faith with one's baptismal obligations, for resisting the impulses of human
nature wounded by sin, and for balancing the emotions provoked by negative
influences in the environment.
The spirit of prayer helps us
to live coherently the practice of the evangelical virtues
of faithfulness and sincerity of heart, of poverty and humility in
the daily effort of work and of commitment to one's neighbour. The
interior life gives rise to christian joy which wins the battle against
evil, beyond every moralism and pyschological aid.
From frequent and
intimate contact with the Lord, everyone, especially the young, will
derive the strength and enthusiasm for a pure life and they will realise their
human and christian vocation in peaceful self control and in generous giving to others.
The importance of these considerations can escape noone. Today, in
fact, many people, implicitly or explicitly, hold a pessimistic
interpretation of the capacity of human nature to accomplish a
life-long commitment, especially in marriage. Christian education
should raise the confidence of the young so that their understanding of
and preparation for life-long commitment be secured with the certainty
that God will help them with His grace to accomplish His purposes.
47. Imitation of and union
with Christ, lived and handed on by the saints, are the
most profound motivation for our hope of realising the highest ideal
of a chaste life, unattainable by human effort alone.
The Virgin Mary is the
eminent example of christian life. The Church, through centuries of experience
is convinced that the faithful, especially the young, by devotion to her,
have known how to realise this ideal.
II.
RESPONSIBILITY IN PUTTING SEX
EDUCATION
INTO EFFECT
FUNCTION OF THE FAMILY
48. Education, in the first place, is the duty of the family,
which " is the school of richest humanity".(37) It is, in fact, the
best environment to accomplish the obligation of securing a gradual education
in sexual life. The family has an affective dignity which is suited to making
acceptable without trauma the most delicate realities and to integrating them
harmoniously, in a balanced and rich personality.
49. The affection and reciprocal trust which exist in the
family are necessary for the harmonious and balanced development of the child
right from birth. So that the affective natural bonds which unite parents to
children be positive in the highest degree, parents are in pride of place in
realising a peaceful sexual balance, and in establishing a relationship of
trust and of dialogue with their, children in a manner appropriate to their
age and development.
50. In order to be able to give efficacious guidance, which is
necessary for resolving the problems which arise, prior to any theoretical
knowledge, adults are to be exemplary in their conduct. Christian parents must
know that their example represents the most valid contribution in the
education of their children. These, in their turn, can come to certainty that
the christian ideal is a reality experienced within the family itself.
51. Openness and collaboration of parents with other educators
who are co-responsible for formation, will positively influence the maturation
of young people. The theoretical preparation and the experience of parents
will help their children to understand the value and specific role of the
reality of man and woman.
52 The full realisation of conjugal life and, in consequence,
the sanctity and stability of the family, depend on the formation of
conscience and on values assimilated during the whole formative cycle of the
parents themselves. Moral values seen in the family are transmitted to the
children more easily.(38) Among these moral values, respect for life in the
womb and, in general, respect for people of every age and condition have great
importance. The young must be helped to understand, appreciate and respect
these fundamental values of existence.
In view of the importance of these elements for christian
life, and also in the perspective of a divine call to the children to the
priesthood or consecrated life, sex education acquires an ecclesial
dimension.
THE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY
53. The Church, mother of the faithful born of her to the
faith in Baptism, has an educative mission entrusted by Christ, which is
realised especially through proclamation, full communion with God and one's
fellows, conscientious and active participation in the eucharistic liturgy and
through apostolic activity.(39) By being open to life the ecclesial community
constitutes an environment adequate to the assimilation of the christian ethic
in which the faithful learn to witness to the Good News.
54. The difficulties which sex education often encounters
within the bosom of the family solicit a major commitment on the part of the
christian community and, in particular, of priests to collaborate in the
education of the baptised. In this field, the catholic school, the parish and
other ecclesial institutions are called to collaborate with the family.
55. From the ecclesial character of the faith derives the
co-responsibility of the christian community in helping the baptised to live
coherently and knowledgeably the obligations taken on with baptism. It is the
responsibility of the Bishops to establish norms and guidelines adapted to the
necessities of the individual churches.
CATECHESIS AND SEX EDUCATION
56. Catechesis is called to be the fertile field for the
renewal of all the ecclesial community. Therefore, in order to lead the
faithful to maturity of faith, it must illustrate the positive values of
sexuality, integrating them with those of virginity and marriage, in the light
of the mystery of Christ and of the Church.
This catechesis should bring into relief that the first
vocation of the christian is to love, and that the vocation to love is
realised in two diverse ways: in marriage, or in a life of celibacy for love
of the kingdom.(40) "Marriage and virginity are the two modes of
expressing and living the one mystery of the Covenant of God with His
people".(41)
57. So that families may be certain that catechesis is by no
means apart from the Magisterium, pastors are to be involved both in the
selection and preparation of responsible Magisterium personnel and in the
determination of content and method.
58. From what has been said above in n. 48, the fact remains ever
valid that with regard to the more intimate aspects, whether biological or
affective, an individual education should be bestowed, preferably within the
sphere of the family.
59. It being understood that catechesis realised in the family
constitutes a privileged form, if parents do not feel able to perform this
duty, they may have recourse to others who enjoy their confidence. A wise
initiative, prudent and adapted to age and environment, can avoid traumas for
children and render to them more easy the solution of sexual problems.
PRE-MARRIAGE CATECHESIS
60. A fundamental aspect of the preparation of the young for
marriage consists in giving them an exact vision of the christian ethic
regarding sexuality. Catechesis offers the advantage of facing sexuality in
the immediate prospect of marriage. But for its full success, this catechesis
must be conveniently continued by developing a true and proper catechumenate.
It aspires therefore to sustain and strengthen the chastity proper to the
engaged in preparation for conjugal life viewed in a christian manner, and to
the specific mission which the married have amongst the People of God. ,
61. Future spouses must know the profound significance of
marriage, understood as a union of love for the realisation of the couple and
for procreation. The stability of marriage and of conjugal love requires as
indispensable conditions: chastity and self control, the formation of
character and the spirit of sacrifice. With regard to certain difficulties of
married life, rendered more acute by the conditions of our time, chastity
during one's youth as an adequate preparation for marital chastity will be a
decisive help to the married. They will need therefore to be informed about
the divine law, declared by the ecclesiastical Magisterium, necessary for the
formation of their consciences.(42)
62 Instructed in the value and greatness of the Sacrament of
Matrimony, which specifies for them the grace and vocation of baptism,
christian spouses will know how to live conscienciously the values and
specific obligations of their moral lives as requirement and fruit of the
grace and action of the Spirit, " fortified and, as it were, consecrated
for the duties and dignity of their state by a special sacrament ".(43)
Therefore, in order to live their sexuality and to carry out
their responsibilities in accord with God's plan,(44) it is important that
spouses have knowledge of the natural methods of regulating their fertility.
As John Paul II has said, "every effort must be made to render such
knowledge accessible to all married people and also to young adults before
marriage, through clear, timely and serious instruction and education given by
married couples, doctors and experts ".(45) Evidently, contraception,
insistently propagated today, constrasts with these christian ideals and these
moral norms of which the Church is teacher. This fact renders still more
urgent the necessity of transmitting to the young at an appropriate age the
teaching of the Church on artificial means of contraception, and the reasons
for such teaching, so that the young may be prepared for responsible marriage,
full of love and open to life.
GUIDELINES FOR ADULTS
63. A solid catechetical preparation of adults on human love
establishes the foundations for the sex education of children. Thus the
possession of human maturity illumined by faith in secured, which will be
decisive in the dialogue which adults are called to establish with the new
generations. Further to indications concerning methods to be used, such
catechesis will favour an appropriate exchange of ideas on particular
problems, will make the teaching aids for use better known, and will permit
eventual encounters with experts, whose collaboration could be particularly
useful in difficult cases.
TASK OF CIVIL SOCIETY
64. The person should find in society existing expressions and
experiences of values which exercise an influence not secondary on the
formative process. Therefore, it will be the task of civil society, in as much
as it treats the common good,(46) to be watchful so that a wise physical and
moral environment be secured in schools, and conditions which respond to the
positive requests of parents, or receive their free support, be
promoted.
65. It is the task of the State to safeguard its citizens
against injustices and moral disorders, such as the abuse of minors and every
form of sexual violence, degrading dress, permissiveness and pornography, and
the improper use of demographic information.
RESPONSIBILITY IN EDUCATION IN THE USE OF THE
INSTRUMENTS
OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
66. In the actual world, the instruments of social
communication, by their intrusiveness and suggestion, display to youth and the
very young - also and above all in the field of sex education - a continuous
and conditioning stream of information and training, which is very much more
trenchant than that of one's own family.
John Paul II has indicated the situation in which children
find themselves confronted by the instruments of social communication: "
Fascinated and devoid of defence before the world and adults, children are
naturally ready to accept whatever is offered to them, whether good or bad...
They are attracted by the " small screen ", they follow each gesture
which is portrayed and they perceive, before and better than every other
person, the emotions and feelings which result ".(47)
67.
It is therefore to be noted that by the same technological evolution,
the necessary control is rendered less easy and opportune. There is an
urgency - for proper sex education, too - that " those who are at the
receiving end of the media, and especially the young, should learn
moderation and discipline in their use of them. They should aim to
understand fully what they see, hear and read. They should discuss them
with their teachers and with experts in such matters and should learn
to reach correct judgements ".(48)
68 In defence of the rights of the child in this area,
John Paul II stimulates the consciences of all
responsible christians, especially parents and operators
of the instruments of social communication, so that
they do not hide behind the pretext of neutrality and respect for the
spontaneous development of the child, since in reality this is behaviour of
preoccupying indifference.(49)
Particular duties " in
this matter are incumbent on civil authority in view of the common good
",(50) which requires the juridical regulation of the instruments of
social communication to protect public morality, in particular the world of
youth, especially with regard to magazines, films, radio and television
programmes, exhibitions, shows and publicity.
TASK OF THE SCHOOL WITH REGARD
TO SEX EDUCATION
69. It being understood from what has been said on the primary
duty of the family, the rôle of the school should be that of assisting and
completing the work of parents, furnishing children and adolescents with an
evaluation of " sexuality as value and task of the whole person, created
male and female in the image of God ".(51)
70. Interpersonal dialogue
required by sex education, tends to kindle in the pupil an interior
disposition suited to motivating and guiding personal behaviour. Such a point
of view is strictly connected to the values inspired by the concept of life.
Sex education is not reducible to simple teaching material, nor to
theoretical knowledge alone, nor does it consist of a programme to be carried
out progressively, but it has a specific objective in view: that affective
maturation of the pupil, of self control, and of correct behaviour in social
relationships.
71. The school can contribute to the realisation of this
objective in various ways. All matters can offer an opportunity to treat
themes in their relation to sexuality; the teacher will do so always in a
positive key and with great delicacy, concretely evaluating the opportunity
and the methods. Individual sex education always retains prior value and can
not be entrusted indiscrimately to just any member of the school community. In
fact, as will be specified in what follows, as well as right judgement, sense
of responsibility, professional competence, affective and decent maturity,
this education requires from the teacher outstanding sensitivity in initiating
the child and adolescent in the problems of love and life without
disturbing their psychological development.
72 Also, though the teacher
possess the necessary qualities for sex education in groups, it is necessary
always to consider the concrete situation of such groups. This applies above
all in mixed groups, since these require special precautions. In each case,
the responsible authorities must examine with parents the propriety of
proceeding in such a manner. Given the complexity of the problem, it is good
to reserve for the pupil a time for personal dialogue in order to accomodate
the seeking of advice or clarification - which a natural sense of decency
would not allow to arise in front of others. Only a strict collaboration
between the school and the family will be able to guarantee an advantageous
exchange of experience between parents and teachers for the good of the
pupils.(52) It is the responsibility of Bishops, taking account of school
legislation and local circumstances, to establish guidelines for sex education
in groups, above all if they are mixed.
73 It can sometimes happen that
particular events in the life of the school render a timely intervention
necessary. In such cases, the school authorities, in accordance with the
principle of collaboration, will contact parents interested in agreeing on an
appropriate solution.
74 Persons particularly suited by competence and
balance, and who enjoy the trust of parents, can be invited to hold private
conversations with pupils to help them to develop their affective maturity and
to give the right balance in their social relationships. Such interventions in
personal guidance belong in particular to the more difficult cases, at least
when the gravity of the situation makes necessary recourse to a specialist in
the matter.
75 The formation and development of an harmonious personality
require a peaceful atmostphere, fruitful understanding, reciprocal trust and
collaboration between persons in charge. It is obtained with mutual respect
for the specific competence of the various members of the educational staff,
their responsibilities and the choice of the differentiated means at their
disposal.
APPROPRIATE TEACHING MATERIALS
76. In order to offer
correct sex education, appropriate teaching materials can be of
assistance. The elaboration of
such materials requires the contribution of specialists in moral and pastoral
theology, of catechists, of educationists and catholic psychologists.
Particular attention is to be paid to the materials to be used by the pupils
themselves.
Some school text-books on sexuality, by reason of their
naturalist character, are harmful to the child and the adolescent. Graphic and
audio-visual materials are more harmful when they crudely present sexual
realities for which the pupil is not prepared, and thus create traumatic
impressions or raise an unhealthy curiosity which leads to evil. Let teachers
think seriously of the grave harm that an irresponsible attitude in such
delicate matters can cause in pupils.
YOUTH GROUPS
77. There exists in
education a not negligible factor which goes side by side
with the action of the family and the school and which frequently has an
even greater influence in the formation of the person: these are youth
groups, constituted in leisure time, which impinge intensely on the life of
the adolescent and young adult. The human sciences hold that " groups
" are a positive condition for formation, because the maturation of the
personality is not possible without efficacious personal relationships.
III.
CONDITIONS AND MODE OF SEX EDUCATION
78. The complexity and delicacy of the
task requires accurate preparation of teachers, specific
qualities in the way the matter is treated and
particular attention to precise objectives.
PREPARATION OF TEACHERS
79. The
mature personality of the teachers, their training and
psychological balance strongly influence their pupils. An exact and complete vision of the meaning and value of
sexuality
and a peaceful integration within the personality itself are indispensable for
teachers in constructive education. Their training takes shape according to
environment. Their ability is not so much the fruit of theoretical knowledge
but rather the result of their affective maturity. This does not dispense with
the acquisition of scientific knowledge suited to their educational work,
which is particularly arduous these days. Meetings with parents can be of
great help.
80.
The dispositions which must characterise the teacher are the result of
a general formation, founded on a positive and professional
constructive concept of life, and of constant effort in realising it.
Such a formation goes beyond the purely necessary professional training
and addresses the more intimate aspects of the personality, including
the religious and the spiritual. This last will be the guarantee of a
recourse to christian principles, which, by supernatural means, must
sustain the educational enterprise.
81. The teacher who carries out his or her task outside the family context needs a suitable and serious
psychopedagogic training which allows the seizing of particular situations
which require a special solicitude. A high degree of this is needed when, in
consultation with the parents, a boy or girl needs a psychologist.
82. Beyond the normal topics and
pathological cases, there is a whole range of individuals with problems more or less acute and persistent, which risk being
little cured, yet are truly in need of help. In these cases, in addition to
therapy at the medical level, constant support and guidance on the part of
teachers is needed.
QUALITY OF TEACHING METHODS
83. A clear vision of the
situation is required because the method adopted not only gradually
conditions the success of this
delicate education, but also conditions cooperation between the
various people in responsibility. In reality, the criticisms normally raised
refer more to the methods used by some teachers than to the enterprise
itself. These methods must have definite qualities, both in the same teachers
and in the end to which such education is proposed.
NEEDS OF THE PUPIL AND
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
84. Affective-sex education, being more conditioned
than others by the degree of physical and psychological development of the pupil, must always be adapted to the
individual. In certain cases it is necessary to advise the pupil in
preparation for particularly difficult situations, when it is foreseen that the
pupil will have to encounter them, or forewarn him or her of imminent or
permanent dangers.
85. It is necessary therefore to respect the progressive character of this education. A proper gradual progress of
initiatives must be attentive to the stages of physical and
psychological growth, which require a more careful preparation and a
prolonged period of maturation. One needs to be assured that the pupil has
assimilated the values, the knowledge and the motivation which has been
proposed, or the changes and the evolution which he or she could observe in
him or herself and of which the teacher opportunely indicates the causes, the
connections and the purpose.
QUALITY OF THE TEACHER
86. In order
to make a valid contribution to the harmonious and balanced
development of the young, teachers must regulate their
teaching according to the particular rôle which falls to them. The pupil
neither perceives nor receives in the same manner from different teachers the
information and motivation which they give, because different teachers affect
his or her intimacy in a different way. Objectivity and prudence must
characterise such teaching.
87. Progressive information requires a partial explanation, but always
according to truth. Explanations must not be distorted by reticence or
by lack of frankness. Prudence therefore requires of the teacher not
only an appropriate adaption of the matter to the expectations of the
pupil, but also a choice of language, mode and time in which the
teaching is carried out. This requires that the child's sense of
decency be taken into account. The teacher, moreover, remembers the
influence of parents: their preoccupation with this dimension of
education, the particular character of family education, their concept
of life, and their degree of openness to other educational spheres.
88. One must insist first of all on the human and christian values of
sexuality, so that pupils can appreciate them, and so that the desire
to realise them in one's personal life and relationships may be roused.
Without disregarding the difficulties which sexual development
involves, but without creating an obsessive state, the teacher may have
confidence in the educational enterprise: it can rely on the resonance
which true values strike in the young, when they are presented with
conviction and are confirmed by testimony of life.
89. Given the importance of sex education in the integral
formation of the person, teachers, taking account of the various
aspects of sexuality and of their incidence in the global personality, are
urged in particular not to separate knowledge from corresponding values, which
give a sense and orientation to biological, psychological and social
information. Consequently, when they present moral norms, it is necessary ,
that they show how find their raison d'etre and value.
EDUCATION FOR MODESTY
AND FRIENDSHIP
90. Modesty, a fundamental component of the personality, may be
considered - on the ethical level - as the vigilant knowledge which defends
the dignity of man, woman and authentic love. It tends to react to certain
attitudes and to curb behaviour which stains the dignity of the
person. It is a necessary and effective means of controlling the instincts,
making authentic love flower, integrating the affective-sexual life in the
harmonions picture of the person. Modesty has great pedagogic weight and must
therefore be respected. Children and young people will thus learn to respect
the body itself as a gift from God, member of Christ and temple of the Holy
Spirit; they will learn to resist the evil which surrounds them and to have a
vision and clear imagination to seek to express a truly human love with all
its spiritual components when they meet people in friendship.
91. To such an
end, concrete and attractive models of virtue are to be presented, the
aesthetic sense be developed, inspiring a taste for the beauty present in
nature, in art and in moral life; the young are to be educated to assimilate
a system of sensible and spiritual values in an unselfish impetus of faith and
love.
92. Friendship is the height of affective maturation and differs from
mere cameraderie by its interior dimension, by communication which allows and
fosters true communion, by its reciprocal generosity and its stability.
Education for friendship can become a factor of extraordinary importance in
the making of the personality in its individual and social dimensions.
93. The bonds of friendship which unite the young of both sexes
contribute both to understanding and to reciprocal respect when they
are maintained within the limits of normal affective expression. If
however they become or tend to become manifestations of a genital
character, they lose the authentic meaning of mature friendship,
prejudice the relationships involved and the future prospects with
regard to an eventual marriage, and render the individuals concerned
less attentive to a possible call to the consecrated life.
IV.
SOME
PARTICULAR PROBLEMS
The teacher may find that in carrying out his or her
mission, he or she may be confronted by several particular problems, which we
treat here.
94. Sex education must lead the young to take cognisance of the
different expressions and dynamisms of sexuality and of the
human values which must be respected. True love is the capacity to open
oneself to one's neighbour in generosity, and in devotion to the other for the
other's good; it knows how to respect the personality and the freedom of the
other,(53) it is self giving, not possessive. The sex instinct, on the other
hand, if abandoned to itself, is reduced to the merely genital, and tends
to take possession of the other, immediately seeking personal gratification.
95. Relationships of sexual intimacy are reserved to marriage,
because only then is the inseparable connection secured - which God
wants - between the unitive and the procreative meaning of such
matters, which are ordained to maintain, confirm and express a definitive
communion of life - " one flesh "(54) - mediating the realisation of
a love that is " human " " total " " faithful
" " creative "(55) which is marital love.
Therefore, sexual relations outside the context of marriage constitute a grave
disorder, because they are reserved to a reality which does not yet exist;(56)
they are a language which is not found in the objective reality of the life of
the two persons, not yet constituted in definitive community with the
necessary recognition and guarantee of civil and, for catholic spouses,
religious society.
96.
It seems that there is a spread amongst adolescents and young adults of
certain manifestations of a sexual kind which of themselves tend to
complete encounter, though without reaching its realisation:
manifestations of the merely genital which are a moral disorder because
they are outside the matrimonial context of authentic love.
97. Sex education will help adolescents
to discover the profound values of love, and to understand the
harm which such manifestations do to their affective maturation, in
as much as they lead to an encounter which is not personal, but instinctive,
often weakened by reservations and egoistic calculations, without therefore
the character of true personal relationship and so much less definitive. An
authentic education will lead the young towards maturity and self-control,
the fruit of conscientious choice and personal effort.
98. It is the task of
sex education to promote a continuous progress in the control of the
impulses to effect an opening, in due course, to true and self giving love. A
particularly complex and delicate problem which can be present is that of
masturbation and of its repercussions on the integral growth of the person.
Masturbation, according to catholic doctrine constitutes a grave moral
disorder,(57) principally because it is the use of the sexual faculty in a way
which essentially contradicts its finality, not being at the service of love
and life according to the design of God.(58)
99. A teacher and perspicacious
counsellor must endeavour to identify the causes of the deviation in order to
help the adolescent to overcome the immaturity underlying this habit. From an
educative point of view, it is necessary to consider masturbation and other
forms of autoeroticism as symptoms of problems much more profound, which
provoke sexual tension which the individual seeks to resolve by recourse to
such behaviour. Pedagogic action, therefore, should be directed more to the
causes than to the direct repression of the phenomenon.(59)
Whilst taking
account of the objective gravity of masturbation, it is necessary to be
cautious in evaluating the subjective responsibility of the person.(60)
100. In order that the adolescent be helped to feel accepted in a communion of charity and freed from self enclosure,
the teacher "should undramatise masturbation and not reduce his or her
esteem and benevolence for the pupil".(61) The teacher will help the pupil
towards social integration, to be open and interested in others; to be able to
be free from this form of autoeroticism, advancing towards self giving love,
proper to mature affectivity; at the same time, the teacher will encourage the
pupil to have recourse to the recommended means of christian asceticism, such
as prayer and the sacraments, and to be involved in works of justice and
charity.
101. Homosexuality, which impedes the person's acquisition of sexual maturity,
whether from the individual point of view,
or the inter-personal, is a problem which must be faced in all objectivity by
the pupil and the educator when the case presents itself.
" Pastorally,
these homosexuals must be received with understanding and supported in the
hope of overcoming their personal difficulties and their social mal-adaption,
their culpability will be judged with prudence; but no pastoral method can
be used which, holding that these acts conform to the condition of these
persons, accord them a moral justification.
" According to the objective
moral order, homosexual relations are acts deprived of their essential and
indispensable rule ".(62)
102. It will be the duty of the family and the
teacher to seek first of all to identify the factors which drive
towards homosexuality: to see if it is a question of physiological or psycho
logical factors; if it be the result of a false education or of the lack of
normal sexual evolution; if it comes from a contracted habit or from bad
example;(63) or from other factors. More particularly, in seeking the causes of
this disorder, the family and the teacher will have to take account of the
elements of judgement proposed by the ecclesiastical
Magisterium, and be served by the contribution which various disciplines can
offer. One must, in fact, investigate elements of diverse order: lack of
affection, immaturity, obsessive impulses, seduction, social isolation and
other types of frustration, depravation in dress, license in shows and
publications. In greater profundity lies the innate frailty of man and woman,
the consequence of original sin; it can run to the loss of the sense of God
and of man and woman, and have its repercussions in the sphere of sexuality.(64)
103. The causes having been sought and understood, the family and the teacher will
offer an efficacious help in the process of integral growth: welcoming with
understanding, creating a climate of hope, encouraging the emancipation of the
individual and his or her growth in self control, promoting an authentic moral
force towards conversion to the love of God and neighbour, suggesting - if
necessary - medical-psychological assistance from persons attentive to and
respectful of the teaching of the Church.
104.
A permissive society which does not offer valid values on which to
found one's life promotes alienating escapism, to which the young are
subject in a particular way. Their idealism encounters the harshness of
life, causing a tension which can provoke, because of the frailty of
the will, a destructive escape in drugs.
This is one of the
problems which is getting worse and which assumes dramatic tones for the
teacher. Some psychotropic substances raise the sensibility for sexual
pleasure and in general diminish the capacity for self control and thereby for
defense. The prolonged abuse of drugs leads to physical and psychological
destruction. Drugs, mistaken autonomy and sexual disorders are often found
together. The psychological situation and the human context of isolation being
such, many people give up, addicts living in rebellion, creating conditions
which easily lead into sexual abuses.
105.
Remedial intervention, which calls for a profound transformation of the
individual from within and without, is laborious and long, because it
must help to reconstruct the personality and relationships with the
world of people and values. Preventative action is more efficacious. It
secures the avoidance of deep, affective decline. It is love and care
which educate towards value, dignity, respect for life, for the body,
for sex, for health. The civil and christian community must know how to
timely welcome the young who are abandoned, alone, insecure, helping
them to be included in study and in work, to occupy their free time,
offering them healthy places for meeting, happiness, activity,
furnishing them with occasions for affective relationships and for
solidarity.
In particular, sport, which is at the
service of man and woman, possesses a great educative value, not only as
bodily discipline, but also as a healthy relaxation in which young people are
encouraged to renounce their egotism and to meet other people. Only a
freedom which is authentic, educated, aided and promoted offers protection
from the quest for illusory liberty of drugs and sex.
CONCLUSION
106. From these
reflections one can conclude that in the actual socio-cultural situation there
is urgent need to give positive and gradual affective-sex education to
children, adolescents and young adults, paying attention to the dispositions
of Vatican Council II. Silence is not a valid norm of conduct in this matter,
above all when one thinks of the " hidden persuaders " which use
insinuating language. Their influence today is undeniable: it is up to
parents, therefore, to be alert not only to repair the harm caused by
inappropriate and injurious interventions, but above all to opportunely inform
their own children, offering them a positive and convincing education.
107. The
defense of the fundamental rights of the child and the adolescent for the
harmonious and complete development of the personality conforms to the dignity
of the children of God, and belongs in first place to parents. Personal
maturation requires, in fact, a continuity in the educative process, protected
by love and trust, proper to the family environment.
108. In accomplishing her
mission the Church has the duty and the right to take care of the moral
education of the baptised.
The contribution of the school in all education,
and particularly in these matters which are so delicate, must be carried out
in agreement with the family.
This presupposes in teachers and in others
involved, whether implicitly or explicitly, a correct criterion for the
purpose of their contribution, and training in order to be able to treat these
matters with delicacy and in a climate of serene trust.
109. So that information
and affective-sex education may be efficacious, it must be carried out with
timely prudence, with adequate expression, and preferably in an individual
form. The outcome of this education will depend largely on the human and
christian vision in which the educator presents the values of life and love.
110. The christian educator, whether
father or mother of the family, teacher, priest or
whoever bears responsibility in this regard, can be tempted, today
above all, to demand , from others this task which needs such delicacy,
principle, patience and courage, and which requires committed generosity
in the pupil. It is necessary, therefore, before concluding, to reaffirm
that this aspect of education is firstly a work of faith for the christian,
and of faithful recourse to grace: each aspect of sex education, in fact,
is inspired by faith, and draws indispensable strength from it and from grace.
The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians puts self-control and temperance
within the ambit which the Holy Spirit, and He alone, can establish in the
believer. It is God who bestows light, it is God who grants sufficient
strength.(65)
111. The Congregation for Catholic Education turns to Episcopal Conferences so that they promote the union of
parents,
of christian communities, and of educators for convergent action in such an
important sector for the future of young people and the good of society. The Congregation makes this invitation to assume this
educational commitment
in reciprocal trust and with the highest regard for rights and specific
competences, with a complete christian formation in view.
Rome, November 1st, Feast of All Saints
WILLIAM Card. BAUM
Prefect
Antonio M. Javierre,
Secretary
Titular Archbishop of Meta
(1) Vatican Council II: Decl. Gravissimum educationis, n. 1 .
(2) Ibid.
(3) S. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics, The Human Person,
29th. December, 1975, AAS 68 (1976) p. 77, n.1 .
(4) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris
consortio, 22nd. November, 1981, AAS 74 (1982) p. 128, n. 37: cf. infra n. 16.
(5) Pius XI, in his Encyclical Divini illius Magistri, of 31st.
December, 1929, declared erroneous the sex education which was presented at that
time, which was information of a naturalist character, precociously and indiscriminately
imparted. (AAS 22 (1930) pp. 49-86). The Decree of the Holy Office of 21st.
March, 1931 (AAS 23 (1931 ) pp. 118-119) must be read in this perspective.
However, Pius XI considered the possibility of an individual, positive sex education
" on the part of those who have received from God the educational mission
and the grace of state ". (AAS 22 (1930) p. 71) . This positive value of
sex education indicated by Pius XI has been gradually developed by successive
Pontiffs. Pius XII, in his discourse to the Vth. International Congress of
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, 13th. April, 1953 (AAS 45 (1953) pp.
278-286) and in his allocution to Italian Women of " Azione Cattolica
", 26th. October, 1941 (AAS 33 (1941) pp. 450-458) defines how sex
education should be conducted within the ambit of the family. (Cf. also, Pius
XII; to the Carmelites: AAS 43 (1951) pp. 734-738; to French Parents: AAS 43 (1951)
pp. 730-734) The Teaching of Pius XII prepared the way to the Conciliar
Declaration Gravissimum educationis.
(6) Cf. Gravissimum educationis, n. 1.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Cf. Vat. II: Const. Gaudium et spes, n.
49.
(9) Cf. Gravissimum educationis, n. 5.
(10) Ibid., n. 3; cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 52.
(11) Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(12) Ibid.
(13) Ibid.
(14) Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(15) Ibid.
(16) Gaudium et spes, n. 11.
(17) John Paul II: General Audience, 14th. November, 1979,
Teaching of John Paul II, II-2, 1979, p. 1156, n. 4.
(18) John Paul II : General Audience, 9th. January, 1980,
Teaching of John Paul II, III- I , 1980, p. 90, n. 4.
(19) John Paul II: General Audience, 20th. February, 1980, Teaching
of John Paul II, III-I, 1980, p. 430, n. 4.
(20) John Paul II : General Audience, 9th. January, 1980, Teaching
of John Paul II, III-I, 1980, p. 90, n. 4.
(21) " Precisely by traversing
the depth of that original solitude, man now emerges in the dimension of the
mutual gift, the expression of which - and for that very reason the expression
of his existence as a person - is the human body in all the original truth of
its masculinity and femininity. The body, which expresses masculinity 'for'
femininity and, viceversa, femininity 'for' masculinity, manifests the
reciprocity and communion of persons. It expresses it by means of the gift as
the fundamental characteristic of personal existence ". Ibid.
(22) Cf. John
Paul II : General Audience, 26th. March, 1980, Teaching of John Paul II, III-I,
1980, pp. 737-74I
(23) Gaudium et spes, n. 49.
(24) Ibid. n. 12.
(25)
Ibid., in which comment is made on the social sense of Gen. 1, 27.
(26) Ibid.,
nn. 47-52.
(27) John Paul I I : General Audience, 20th. February, 1980, Teaching
of John Paul II, III-I, 1980, p. 429, n. 2.
(28) Gaudium et spes, n. 22.
(29) Cf Eph. 4, 13.
(30) Cf. Mt. 19, 3-12.
(31) Cf. I Cor. 7, 32-34.
(32) Cf. I Cor. 13, 4-8; cf. Familiaris consortio, n.
16.
(33) Cf. Vat. II : Const. Lumen gentium, n. 39.
(34) S. Congregation for Catholic
Education: A Guide to Formation in Priestly Celibacy, 11th. April,
1974, n.
22.
(35) Cf. I Cor. 6, 15, 19-20.
(36) Cf. Rom. 7, 18-23.
(37) Gaudium et spes, n. 52; cf. Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(38) Cf. Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(39) Cf. Gravissimum educationis, n. 3-4; cf. Pius XI, Divini illius
Magistri, l.c., pp. 53f., 56f.
(40) Cf. Familiaris consortio, n. II.
(41) Ibid., n. 16.
(42) Cf. Paul VI, Encyc. Letter, Humanae vitae, 25th.
July, 1968, AAS 60 (1968) p. 493 ff., n.17 ff.
(43) Gaudium et spes, n. 48.
(44) Cf. Humanae vitae, n. 10.
(45) Familiaris consortio, n. 33. On actual
contraceptive propaganda widely diffused cf. Humanae vitae, nn. 14-17.
(46) Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 26; cf. Humanae vitae, n. 23.
(47) John Paul II, Message for the XIII World
Communications Day, 23rd. May, 1979, AAS 71, (1979-II) p. 930.
(48)Vat.
II: Dec. Inter mirifica, n. 10; cf. Pontifical Commission for Social
Communications : Past. Inst. Communio et Progressio, AAS 63 (1971) p. 619, n. 68.
(49) Cf. John Paul II: Message for the XIII World Communications
Day, 23rd. May, (1979) AAS 71 (1979-II) pp. 930-933.
(50) Inter mirifica, n. 12.
(51) Familiaris consortio, n. 32.
(52) Cf above n. 58.
(53) Cf. 1 Cor. 13, 5.
(54) Mt. 19, 5.
(55) Humanae vitae, n. 9.
(56) Cf. The Human Person, n. 7.
(57) Cf. The Human Person, n. 9.
(58) Ibid.
(59) Ibid.
(60) Ibid.
(61) A Guide to Formation
in Priestly Celibacy, n. 63.
(62) The Human Person, n. 8.
(63) Ibid.
(64) Cf. Rom. 1, 26-28; cf., per
analogia, The Human Person, n. 9.
(65) Cf. Gal. 5, 22-24.