AMERICA/BOLIVIA - For the moment Religious Instruction in schools will continue: agreement signed by government and Church

Sucre (Agenzia Fides) - After days of uncertainty and contradictory statements with regard to the government’s position concerning religious instruction in schools, the Catholic Church in Bolivia has convinced the government to maintain religious education as part of the school curriculum. The Bishops signed the agreement with the Minister of Education Félix Patzi in the city of Sucre.
The agreement, reached within the government and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bolivia (CEB) Coordination Pact on common themes, has four points: guarantee full respect for freedom of belief and religion in the framework of the country’s diversity and consequently maintain in the school curriculum Instruction in the Catholic Religion; guarantee validity of Church State agreement in the area of Education; guarantee validity and activity of private universities in the framework of national legislation; State through its ministry of education and culture the will continue to work with the Catholic Church with regard to improvement of national education.
General secretary of the Bishops’ Conference Mgr Jesús Juárez, stated that every person has the right to choose a religion and the Catholic Church proclaims religious freedom as a fundamental right, and so religious instruction in school is a right which cannot be renounced.
The signing of the agreement was seen as an attempt by the government to save the 2nd National Education Congress which had gone adrift because of lack of consensus and dialogue. The Congress was supposed to close on 14 July with the approval of an outline of new education bill, however seven participating sectors including the Catholic Church walked out. The 20 Church delegates left because the government position was totally closed and there appeared to be no chance of positive results in the field of education. When the Congress opened Cardinal Julio Terrazas, Archbishop of Santa Croce de la Sierra appealed to all Bolivians to defend the universal right to profess a religion and urged the government to distinguish between a secular state and a secularised state. The Cardinal said “the Church will defend the universal right to profess a religion, a right which cannot be renounced or negotiated, the foundation for building a united family and a united nation". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 17/7/2006; righe 30, parole 411)