CARDIFF, Wales, MAY 10, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The Welsh bishops are underlining the importance of upholding Catholic schools so that children can be educated with respect for their religious beliefs.
This was one of the points stressed by the prelates in a pastoral message sent on the occasion of the elections for the national assembly of Wales, which took place Thursday.
The bishops stated, «The Catholic Church holds that parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children and, further, that they have a right to have them educated in an ethos which respects their religious beliefs.»
«It is this which underlies the commitment of the Church to provide Catholic schools often at considerable financial cost to the Catholic community,» they explained.
«In Wales,» the prelates continued, «these schools provide an education that is academically excellent and which prepare young Catholics to take their place as responsible citizens in our society.»
«They also provide an education for many children from poorer sections of society and thus promote social cohesion.»
The bishops urged the Welsh people to support politicians and legislation that maintain Catholic schools and increases funding for these institutions.
Family
They also stressed the importance of supporting policies that uphold marriage as «the public and life-long commitment between a man and a woman to remain together.»
«While we recognize the heroic efforts of many single parents to bring up children in very difficult circumstances,» the bishops added, «we affirm that the gift of children and their education in a stable permanent family is at the heart of Church teaching.»
The prelates continued, «It is this understanding of human life which motivates our opposition to anything which endangers life especially at its most vulnerable moments — the life of the baby in the womb or in frail old age — through abortion, assisted suicide, or euthanasia.»
They noted: «There are strong advocates in society today who seek to ‘liberalize’ these practices and the Church remains firmly opposed to such liberalization.
«However, the Church’s pro-life stand also includes a much wider understanding of ‘life’ to include all those conditions which allow the full flourishing of the human being, including health, education, housing, and the elimination of all forms of poverty.»
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