Sex and civic education in schools in Europe is an "attack" on
religious freedom, Pope Benedict XVI said on Monday, following a Vatican
row with Spain over a new course promoting liberal values.
"I
cannot remain silent about another attack on the religious freedom of
families in certain European countries which mandate obligatory
participation in courses of sexual or civic education," the pope said.
In
his traditional New Year's address to ambassadors to the Vatican, the
pope said such courses "convey a neutral concept of the person and of
life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and to right
reason".
Benedict said this was an example of the "threats"
against "the cultural roots which nourish the profound identity and
social cohesion of many nations".
In a collection of interviews
published in November 2010, Benedict said for the first time that he
approved of condom use to reduce the risk of disease, leading some to
wonder whether his attitude to sex education was changing.
But the
Vatican later insisted that the pope's comments referred only to sex
workers who were HIV positive and could not be applied more widely.
The
pope's comments follow a heated row between the Roman Catholic Church
and Spain's socialist government over civic education, after compulsory
citizenship education classes were introduced in 2007.
Thousands
of parents in Spain have since complained about the course, which openly
addresses topics such as homosexuality, divorce and abortion, and has
been condemned by critics as being "anti-Christian".
In Monday's
address, the pope said Catholic education was being "compromised or
hampered by legislative proposals which risk creating a sort of state
monopoly" in schools, particularly in Latin America.
SIC: AFP/EU