EUROPE/SPAIN - Bishops' reminder: “the State cannot replace society as educator of moral consciences”

Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – After the sessions held by the Permanent Commission of the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE) on February 17-18, a final declaration was issued in which the Bishops reiterate the fact that the State cannot replace society as educator of moral consciences, in reference to the course subject of “Education for Citizenship.”
The Bishops have dedicated part of their sessions to the preparation and approval of the topics for discussion in their upcoming Plenary Assembly to be held April 20-24, 2009. They will also pay homage to “Manos Unidas” on their 50th anniversary, in the presence of the leaders of this Catholic organization for development that has been “declaring the war on hunger” for over half a century now. A draft of a Message on the occasion of the 50th anniversary was also presented.
The Permanent Commission has also taken into account the initiative present in the European Parliament on maintaining Sunday as a non-working day and supports the petition made to the member-countries and the institutions, asking that they “protect Sunday as a day of weekly rest in the future national and community legislation regarding the working calendar” (...), as “Sundays, as non-working days, are an essential pillar in the European social structure and form a part of the communal cultural inheritance.” In their Pastoral Guidelines Manual in light of the present situation in Psain, issued in November 2006, the Spanish Bishops proposed that Sunday be kept sacred and that the Sunday Mass be one of the especially urgent concrete objectives in the promotion of Catholic identity.
While the Bishops were meeting, the declarations made by the Supreme Court on four appeals made by parents of students regarding the “Education for Citizenship” course, were published. In the hope that the declarations can be studied and analyzed in their profundity and that there may be a statement made on them, the Bishops recall that the fundamental criteria established in the declarations of the Permanent Commission in February and June 2007, remain in force. Those affirm that “the State cannot replace society as educator of moral consciences. Instead, its obligation is to promote and guarantee the right to education for those to whom this function corresponds, in an ordered democracy that respects freedom of conscience and social pluralism. However, with the introduction of 'Education for Citizenship' the State assumes the role of moral educator, one that does not belong to a democratic and legally constituted state.”
In the press conference held at he close of the meeting, the CEE's spokesman recalled that while the Church does not call for demonstrations against the Abortion Law, it does express its complete rejection of a reform that would decriminalize the termination of a pregnancy and make abortion available – without parental consent – to girls of 16 years of age. He also affirmed that abortion is a “crime” and “a detestable act of violence” that eliminates the life of a human being. Likewise, he recalled the Pastoral Letter on abortion that the Plenary Assembly of Bishops approved in April 2001, which will be sent by the Prelates in the days to come, to the dioceses, monasteries, and religious communities of all Spain.
Lastly, in response to the death of 25 immigrants this past February 15 – the majority being under-age minors – the CEE Permanent Commission has expressed its deepest sorrow and solidarity with the families, and reiterate their hope that a more efficient support will be offered to their countries of origin so as to avoid these tragic events and that in the countries of destination, their rights may always be respected as human beings with their personal dignity. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 20/2/2009)