VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Controversy here surrounding the introduction of new sexuality education resources for Catholic children has been nipped in the bud. One parent says the credit goes to the archdiocese for recognizing parents' primary role in their children's education.

The solution came in part from a Vatican document on human sexuality that recognizes the involvement of parents as “part of the universal call to holiness,” said Kathleen Higgins, a mother of seven.

Meanwhile, thank you letters have begun flowing in for Archbishop Adam Exner of Vancouver, and Higgins said she knows of many more parents planning to express their appreciation for his support of them and the 1995 Vatican document, “The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality.”

“Truth and Meaning” outlines how the biological aspects of sexuality are to be presented to students at the elementary level, so when Catholic parents became concerned that explicit sex education programs were to be introduced to their children, they turned to the Pontifical Council for the Family document to keep such material out of the classroom.

By the time the controversy was over, however, Archbishop Exner was quoting the same document and stressing that the archdiocese did not intend for explicit sexual teaching to be taught in its schools.

Archbishop Exner said misunderstanding has surrounded the issue. In a letter to pastors, principals and catechists, he said he received a “great number of letters” about the proposed use of resources in the archdiocese. As a result of parents' concerns, Archbishop Exner reiterated that the right of “parents as the first educators is recognized and affirmed.”

Many parents, and some pastors, had been alarmed over reports that the controversial Fully Alive program was going to be introduced at the elementary level for all Catholic school and catechism students.

They were similarly concerned about Growing in Love, a new program that contains explicit references to sexual activity in parent resource books.

But Archbishop Exner said he only wanted the materials to be used as suggested resource materials, not to be mandated for elementary school use. What's more, any explicit content was to be restricted to parental use.

Now, he assures parents, they won't even be recommended as resource materials.

A pro-life news service distributed a report March 25 suggesting that the archdiocese had been planning to require the use of Fully Alive and Growing in Love for all Catholic classrooms and catechism students.

Lifesite News said the archdiocesan Office of Religious Education had “rebuffed parents' requests” for a meeting and that parents objecting to the programs had then petitioned priests and the archbishop. Several priests were believed to have been upset at what they thought the archdiocese was doing.

In actuality, the original proposal had consisted of two options: the use of Fully Alive, with the controversial elements taught by parents in the home; or the use of Growing in Love, in which biological aspects of sexuality education were available only in the resource book used by parents.

Under the new policy, the archdiocese will not recommend specific resource materials for sexual education. Because “it appears impossible to find a resource acceptable to all parents,” said the archbishop, parents and pastors will be free to find and recommend resource materials on their own.

The archbishop's vicar for education, Msgr. Stephen Jensen, said that the Archdiocese of Vancouver's position “has always been, and remains, in keeping with the 1995 Vatican document, Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, that the more intimate, biological aspects of sexuality education should always be taught by parents to their children in the home.”

He said the arch-diocese's guidelines for sexuality and education, introduced in 1999, summarize the Church's moral theology and lay down principles for how the archdiocese should promote education in this area, especially “by supporting parents and offering supplementary help.”

Controversial Material

A handful of parishes have been using Fully Alive on a pilot basis with the controversial material taught at home. Msgr. Jensen said despite that modification, many in the archdiocese felt the use of those materials, which predate Rome's 1995 directives, was not in conformity with the Vatican guidelines. Explicit material, for example, remained in the children's texts.

After Office of Religious Education director Chuck Luttrell began investigating other programs, the archdiocese concluded that Growing in Love could be adapted, since its format allowed it to be used in a number of ways, including instruction given solely by parents at home.

The archdiocese decided to approve the two programs as resource materials, in each case with parents teaching the biology.

But under the revised policy, the only sexuality education material in mandated use will be Love and Life, a program for Grade 7 students that has been used in the archdiocese for the past 15 years. Parents who don't want their children to use Love and Life will continue to have the right to opt out.

Msgr. Jensen said it's unfortunate that parents “assumed there would be no choice,” which was not the case, he said.

Parent Kathleen Higgins said the discussion remained constructive and congenial throughout. “It wasn't a fight,” she stressed. “I think it was a joint effort of people working together to study and follow the Church's recent teaching in this important area.”

Her children range from kindergarten to university age, and she is particularly pleased that the revised policy calls for every parish to hold two evening meetings dedicated to helping to assist parents in giving sexuality education to their own children.

Higgins said she knows “a lot of parents who are really looking forward to the evening sessions when they'll have a chance to brainstorm with each other,” something explicitly recommended in “Truth and Sexuality.” She said many younger parents could benefit from the experience of older couples.

‘Imperative’

In his letter to parents, Archbishop Exner reaffirmed his commitment to helping them carry out their responsibility to teach their children. Said the archbishop, “Good sexuality education is all the more imperative in our present-day world in which all, including our children, are constantly bombarded with glamorized sexual attitudes, behaviors, standards and lifestyles that are completely immoral and destructive of genuine humanity.”

Added Archbishop Exner, “More than ever, good sexuality education is needed today. The survival of true humanity depends on it. We cannot afford to be found wanting.”

Paul Schratz is editor of

The B.C. Catholic.