A vigorous defence of the Church’s RSE teaching has been offered by the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin. Speaking at the Joint Managerial Body/Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools (JMB/AMCSS) annual conference in Galway on Thursday, he noted that a recent debate in Dáil Éireann described the approach of Catholic Schools to RSE as “backward”, “grossly distorted”, not “objective”, non “factual”, and even biologically incorrect.  “It was argued that relationships and sexuality education has to be ‘non-ethos based’.  These negative perceptions of the approach to relationships and sexuality education in our schools will sound unfair, harsh, uninformed and agenda-driven to many parents and to those who have been sensitively working in this area within our Catholic schools”.

He agreed that a review of RSE in schools is essential in order to help young people cope with the risks to their health and well-being.  “A sound Relationships and Sexuality programme, developed in consultation with parents, will include age appropriate information, debate and discussion about contraception, sexually transmitted infections, same sex attraction and unions and the full meaning of consent,” he said.

RSE should be an integral part of the curriculum in a Catholic school and it should present the positive and challenging “Catholic vision for relationships, chastity, marriage and the family”.