Church drawing children into divorce debate
Teachers say the Church is using children “like an irresponsible couple going through separation” by exposing them to divorce-themed pastoral message targeting children and pushing anti-divorce movement material.
Weekly newspaper (correcton: Torca) reports how church school teachers have voiced worries over how the Church is approaching children as part of its anti-divorce campaigning.
In comments to the newspaper, teachers said circulars inviting parents to anti-divorce events and seminars organised by the anti-divorce movement were handed out to children in church schools.
The report adds how the Church is also targeting children through the Archibishop’s pastoral message that pushes an anti-divorce agenda. The pastoral message, almost nine-minutes long, exhorts the importance of a stable family that does not break up or is dissolved, and urges children to make the choice between good and evil.
“Children, you know well the difficult times we are going through because of divorce, meaning that two people leave each other and marry others,” the pastoral message reads.
“As children, you aren’t responsible for the decisions that adults make for you, but I am worried for your sakes as I know that you can suffer a lot because of what us adults do,” the Archbishop adds before urging children to pray so that adults ‘decide’ “based on what Jesus wishes them to.”
“This is aside from the exercises,” one teacher is also reported as saying, who said that this anti-divorce campaign as also taking place within state schools.
Kullhadd also reports comments by a social worker who maintains that it is not healthy to involve children in such a debate.
“In the same way that we say that children shouldn’t be involved in disputes that take place between adults, by the same reasoning I don’t see why children should be involved or be used in any way during the debate,” the social worker said.