Holy See Reminds UN of Parents' Right to Teach Sexuality

(July 29, 2011) The U.N. policies on youth should respect the right of parents to educate their children, including in the realm of human sexuality and "reproductive health," says the Holy See. Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, affirmed this Thursday when he addressed the U.N. high-level meeting on youth. "Each and every young person should be able to be brought up in an environment in which he or she is able to grow and learn, that is, in a community and society characterized by peace and harmony, free from all violence and discord. Each and every child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding," the archbishop affirmed. Such an environment "will promote good and responsible citizenship that is essential to the common good of humanity," he added. Moral responsibility and respect for others are learned in a family, Archbishop Chullikatt continued. "The family has an important role to play in educating children to develop all their faculties and in training them to acquire ethical and spiritual values and to be deeply attached to peace, liberty and the dignity and equality of all men and women," he stated. "The family, founded on the marriage between one man and one woman, is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and must be guaranteed protection by society and the state." The prelate reminded the United Nations that the parents have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of their children to help them become virtuous citizens and leaders and they cannot withdraw from this essential role. The states are called, in conformity with international instruments, to respect the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents in this regard, he added. World Youth Day 2011, to be convened by Pope Benedict XVI in Madrid next month, will afford young people “an opportunity to celebrate and foster the importance of the spiritual dimension of their lives rooted in the truth of the human person, he said. Over a million youth are expected to participate in the thirteenth World Youth Day.