Zagreb, (IKA) – Cardinal Josip Bozanić was interviewed on current events and sex education in elementary and secondary schools by Msgr. Ivan Miklenić, Editor-in-Chief of the Catholic weekly Glas Koncila. Much has happened that has not been fully discussed. Therefore, it is to be expected that confrontation with the current problems will continue since a number of completely new questions have arisen, said Msgr. Miklenić in the introduction to his interview with the Cardinal.

To Cardinal Bozanić, the imposition of the fourth module of health education is a sign that its proponents do not want to confront arguments and are afraid of reasoned debate on this issue. In public, the topic of the contents of this imposed sex education are frequently trivialized, while in reality “a move is being made of an ideological nature” in the area of education, said the Cardinal.
The fourth module of health education does not respect the constitutional rights of parents to express “their own opinions regarding the value orientation of their children in public schools. The issue is not, therefore, primarily about the relationship between the Church and state but about the relationship between the state executive authorities and citizens, in this case parents,” said the Cardinal. “It is unfortunate that there has been contemptuous public discussion in several places that deteriorated into mockery concerning these rights of parents.”

Although the Church and state can resolve individual issues of mutual interest via their commissions at the institutional level, nonetheless, questions regarding sex education in the public schools “are not resolved without parents, without parental consensus, and the school must not act contrary to the wishes of parents.”

Regarding criticism directed at bishops for their public appearances, the Cardinal emphasizes that the bishops are mindful of the good of every person when they act. As pastors, they promote the civilization of love and moral principles, defend fundamental human rights and are concerned with the salvation of souls. Politicizing everything that bishops say indicates a lack of desire for dialogue. “A deafening and angry monologue is a sin against the love that is manifested primarily by attentiveness and respect for other persons. Such a sin destroys the fabric of social relations,” said Cardinal Bozanić.

“Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke about the social danger of the anthropological revolution that is fundamentally opposed to Christian anthropology, as well as the great monotheistic religions.” It is a gender ideology that is “in profound contradiction to Christian anthropology based on the revealed truth that God created humankind as male and female. The duality of male and female is the core of the human creature. Without it, when it is a matter of choice, the family as a natural reality is called into question and children lose their place, dignity and rights.”
The Cardinal said: “Croatia is acquainted with the disastrous ideology of the recent past. Therefore, we need to be very cautious when someone seemingly casually imposes new ideologies … The Year of Faith in a time of new evangelization encourages all believers to become better acquainted with the content of Christian revelation about man and the dignity of every human being.” The entire interview can be read on the website of the Archdiocese of Zagreb.