Teaching sex education is perhaps one of the most challenging tasks for most educators around the world, where teachers often feel overwhelmed and confused on what the right thing to teach, when and how to teach it. Fortunately, Pope Francis recently wrote a letter on love and family, sharing significant guidelines in implementing a better sex education program.
Messages on Sexuality Are Misconstrued
When it comes to sexuality, the world does not have a scarcity on competing messages about this topic. Unfortunately, the youth of today are exposed to highly-communicative, but often "misinformed and sensationalist" messages on sexuality, amplifying their curiosity and confusion.
That's why, a comprehensive and medically accurate sex education is important to equip young people with what they need to know for a healthy and fulfilling adult life. But the current abstinence-only sex education programs appear to be ineffective and Pope Francis seems to agree.
Amoris Laetitia
In the Pontiff's 263-page letter titled "Amoris Laetitia" or "The Joy of Love" released on Apr. 8, Pope Francis argued for better sex education programs that should be based on love, BBC News notes. The 79-year-old Argentinian Pope also stressed that sex education should not focus on "safe sex."
"Frequently, sex education deals primarily with 'protection' through the practice of 'safe sex,'" Pope Francis wrote. "Such expressions convey a negative attitude towards the natural procreative finality of sexuality, as if an eventual child were an enemy to be protected against..."
Pope Francis and Sex Education
Pope Francis also called for the implementation of a "positive and prudent" sex education, with "due weight being given to the advances in the psychological, pedogogical and didactic sciences," Quartz reports. Speaking of Pope Francis' sex education recommendations, here are 5 important guidelines that the Pontiff said should be included in sex education programs.
1. The Value of Virginity
Pope Francis did not advocate to have sex before marriage. But the Pontiff stressed that sex education should explain that sexual abstinence is not superior even though "virginity is a form of love."
2. The Importance of Gender Awareness and Appreciation
In the sex education section of Pope Francis' letter, he urged the significance of the biology each human being is born with. He also pointed out that casting gender choices is against the will of God and the appreciation of the human body as a male or female is "necessary for our own self-awareness in an encounter with others different from ourselves."
"Let us not fall into the sin of trying to replace the Creator," the Pope wrote. "We are creatures, and not omnipotent. Creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift."
3. Masturbation and its Risks
According to Pope Francis, sex education should teach the youth that masturbation has "unintended consequences." The Pope stressed that teaching kids to concentrate on their own desires can lead to bigoted ideas that a human body is a "mere vessel for pleasure."
4. The Significance of Modesty
Pope Francis admitted that the perception of modesty appears to be quite old-fashioned. However, modesty is vital that needs to be emphasized on sex education programs so that people won't end up obsessed over body parts.
5. 'Safe Sex' and the Purpose of Sex
Pope Francis urged that sex education should not focus on advocating "safe sex." The Pope explained that "safe sex" is destroying the primary purpose to have sex, which is procreation or having children.
Meanwhile, aside from sex education, Pope Francis also discussed the Catholic Church's guidelines on love and marriage, Daily Mail reveals. The Guardian also added that the Pontiff also discussed family values and same-sex relationships.
