Monsignor Luis Argüello, secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, announced, during the final press conference of the Plenary Assembly held during these days, a note from the Spanish bishops in relation to the LOMLOE, which yesterday passed the first hurdle for its approval.
Key topic at the Plenary Assembly
The new education law that the government intends to approve has been one of the key issues in this Plenary AssemblyThe Spanish bishops wanted to make their position known, not only for the defense of Religion classes, but also for the many other points of concern included in this law. The Spanish bishops wanted to make their position known, not only because of the defense of the Religion class, but also because of the many other worrying points included in this law, which has also been the only education law that has been developed without the participation of the social and educational agents involved.
"The LOMLOE is confessional in its way of understanding education, in its way of understanding the public as merely state". said the auxiliary bishop of Valladolid when asked about this matter, referring to the practically unique role that this law grants to the public administration in any area related to the development of education - curricular content, distribution of students, teacher selection criteria, etc.
Msgr. Luis Argüello has highlighted the proposal issued by the EEC to contemplate in the law "that school religious education be integrated into a common area of knowledge for all students, in a way that does not generate comparative grievances for anyone".and recalled that "this subject should not be considered outside the educational process, but should be comparable to other fundamental subjects"..
The Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference wanted to emphasize that from the CEE "We continue to reach out for an educational pact, but we make it clear that Spanish society, through families and schools, will defend its rights if necessary.".
Argüello regretted that the government has not even agreed to initiate a dialogue with the educational agents and with the EEC itself to carry out an educational pact for the future, as the Pope wishes.
Full text of the Note
The Congress of Deputies has approved, in the first term, the new Education Law, which will continue its parliamentary procedure in the Senate, before returning to Congress for its final approval.
Education has a singular and relevant meaning for the life and future of children and young people, families and society as a whole. It is the sphere where the future of a nation and its democratic health are built. Due to the great concern generated by the formulation and the way in which the new law is being processed, it seems necessary to offer some reflections:
- Before any consideration we want to show our appreciation to all teachers who in this time of pandemic are redoubling their efforts to continue educating and training new generations. It is a silent work, but we know that it is carried out with a personal and professional dedication that allows us to maintain the school task above all else.
- For this reason, we particularly regret that the processing of this law has proceeded despite the difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic and with extremely accelerated rhythms. This has prevented the proper participation of the entire educational community and the different social subjects.
We consider it necessary to insist that the true subject of education is society and, first and foremost, families. It would not be acceptable for the State to try to appropriate this protagonism of the family and of society -to whose service it is called- by identifying the public character of education with its organizational dimension of State character. Not only what is state-owned is public.
With Pope Francis we want to recall the urgency of a Global Educational Pact, which the Government has applauded in an informal way, and which means to privilege the path of dialogue, listening and agreement, so that one's own ideological positions (all of them "confessional") do not become a criterion of exclusion. In the words of the president of the EEC at the beginning of this Plenary Assembly: "it would be convenient that from this educational pact a solid law could be concretized that would not be the object of debate with each change of political color in the Government". - After the road travelled during the processing of the law, we see the need to ask that this law offers greater protection of the right to education and freedom of education, as expressed in art. 27 of the Constitution and in its jurisprudential interpretation. We are concerned that this law introduces limitations to these rights and freedoms and, in the first place, to the exercise of parental responsibility in the education of their children.
We understand and support the efforts of families, platforms and social agents who have mobilized in recent days in defense of these rights, particularly those related to students with special needs. - In this same sense, we affirm, once again, that the law should include the "social demand" in all stages of the educational process: freedom to create schools, freedom to choose the center and educational proposal, equal treatment of the different types of centers, for which it is necessary to provide free education without discrimination.
- We deeply regret all the obstacles and hindrances that want to impose on the action of the concerted Catholic institutions. This is not the time to confront educational entities and institutions, but to work together, in the public space, to offer an adequate education to all the children, adolescents and young people of our country.
- In dialogue with the Ministry, the EEC has recalled that the education of the moral and religious dimension of the person cannot be excluded from the school environment, so that the person can grow as a responsible and free subject, open to the search for truth and committed to the common good, receiving for this purpose an integral formation. For this reason, he proposed that school religious education be integrated into a common area of knowledge for all students, in a way that does not generate comparative grievances for anyone. And he recalled that this subject should not be considered outside the educational process, but should be comparable to other fundamental subjects.
Unfortunately, the proposal made by the EEC has not received any response from the Ministry. In fact, the approved legislative text suppresses the academic value of the evaluation of the subject of Religion, and leaves students who do not take this subject without a formation with scholastic content.
We would like to recall that it is not acceptable to disqualify this subject or the work of its teachers as indoctrination. On the contrary, it respects all the requirements of its presence in the school environment, whether in terms of methodology or the status of teachers. It is chosen with good reasons by a majority of families, and is recognized for its contribution to the integral education of the person and its commitment to society. In fact, it is present in most European educational systems. - The Church has developed a great educational tradition, which has been and, we hope, will continue to be a richness of our society. Beyond the debate on a law, it is aware of the need to continue defending the scholastic and educational inclusion of school religious education as part of the necessary moral education. And, as the People of God, in all its members, it will continue to work to make possible the growth, freedom and plurality of the educational proposal to serve the good of students, families and society as a whole.
Madrid November 20, 2020
