By Santosh Digal
Mumbai: Catholic schools in western India plan to introduce in their curriculum some parts of an exhortation Pope Francis issued after the Synods on the Family held in 2014 and 2015.
“There is a need to incorporate some of the key elements and messages from ‘Amoris Laetitia’ that have ever relevance to life and situations,” Bishop Elias Gonslaves of Amravati told Matters India on Jan 18.
The prelate agreed the document has to be taught “in a more palatable way with an aim to impart moral education.”
Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love), dated March 19 and released on April 8 last year, focuses on several issues of contemporary morality and Church practice that had proved contentious during the two synods. They include access to communion, divorce, sexual mores, and pastoral practice.
Bishop Gonsalves, who heads the Western Region Catholic Association for Education, says they plan to prepare teaching modules on various topics drawing insights from the papal document.
The proposed teaching modules would deal with education of love, threats to holistic education, sexuality, marriage and family, difficulties faced by children and youngsters, sexual harassment, bullying and shaming, precocious exposure to porn, communication with parents, uniqueness of men and women, gender identity.
“These modules will be introduced in Catholics schools as part of value education series,” Bishop Gonsalves explained.
The 55-year-old prelate was among those who addressed 40 members of the association at a January 19 seminar in Sarvoday, St. Pius Seminary, Mumbai. They included priests and religious engaged in education ministry and members of family apostolate and value education.
The Western Region Bishops’ Council comprises all the bishops of the suffragan dioceses of Bombay, Nagpur, Goa and Daman, Gandhinagar and those under Oriental Rites in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Daman.
As part of the deliberations on the various topics of the seminar, Fr. Cajetan Menezes, director of family apostolate of Archdiocese of Bombay, spoke on “Amoris Laetitia” and its contexts and challenges.
Other speakers included Salesian Father Cleo Braganze, director of Archdiocesan of Value Education Center, Mumbai, and Alwyn Dantis, project coordinator of Snehalaya Family Service Center, Mumbai.
Jesuit Father Royston Fernandes, director of GEBCI (Gujarat Educational Board Of Catholic Institutions), spoke on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Education Policy.