sexual-education-en


sexual-education-en

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SACRED CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL GUIDANCE IN HUMAN LOVE
Outlines for sex education
INTRODUCTION
1. The harmonious development of the human person progressively reveals
in each of us the image of a child of God. " True education aims at the
formation of the human person with respect to his ultimate goal ".(1)
Treating christian education, Vatican Council II drew attention to the
necessity of offering " a positive and prudent sex education " to children and
youth.(2)
The Congregation for Catholic Education, within the sphere of its
competence, considers it proper to make its contribution for the application
of the Conciliar Declarations, as some Episcopal Conferences have done
already.
2. This document, drawn up with the help of educational experts and
submitted to wide consultation, sets itself a precise objective: to examine
the pedagogic aspect of sex education, indicating appropriate guidelines for
the integral formation of a christian, according to the vocation of each.
Also, though it does not make explicit citations at every turn, it always
presupposes the doctrinal principles and moral norms pertaining to the
matter as proposed by the Magisterium.
3. The Congregation for Catholic Education is aware of the cultural and
social differences existing in different countries. These guidelines, therefore,
should be adapted by the respective Episcopates to the pastoral necessities
of each local Church.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SEXUALITY
4. Sexuality is a fundamental component of personality, one of its modes of
being, of manifestation, of communicating with others, of feeling, of
expressing and of living human love. Therefore it is an integral part of the
development of the personality and of its educative process: " It is, in fact,
from sex that the human person receives the characteristics which, on the
biological, psychological and spiritual levels, make that person a man or a
woman, and thereby largely condition his or her progress towards maturity
and insertion into society ".(3)
5. Sexuality characterises man and woman not only on the physical level,
but also on the psychological and spiritual, making its mark on each of their

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expressions. Such diversity, linked to the complementarity of the two sexes,
allows thorough response to the design of God according to the vocation to
which each one is called.
Sexual intercourse, ordained towards procreation, is the maximum
expression on the physical level of the communion of love of the married.
Divorced from this context of reciprocal gift - a reality which the christian
enjoys, sustained and enriched in a particular way by the grace of God it
loses its significance, exposes the selfishness of the individual, and is a
moral disorder.(4)
6. Sexuality, oriented, elevated and integrated by love acquires truly human
quality. Prepared by biological and psychological development, it grows
harmoniously and is achieved in the full sense only with the realisation of
affective maturity, which manifests itself in unselfish love and in the total
gift of self.
THE ACTUAL SITUATION
7. One can see - among christians, too - that there are notable differences
with regard to sex education. In today's climate of moral disorientation a
danger arises, whether of a harmful conformism or prejudice which falsifies
the intimate nature of being human, ushered whole from the hands of the
Creator.
8. In order to respond to such a situation one looks for a suitable sex
education from every source. But if the conviction of its necessity is fairly
widely held in theory, in practice there remain uncertainties and significant
differences, either with regard to the persons and institutions who must
assume the educational responsibility, or in connection with , the contents
and methodologies.
9. Educators and parents are often aware of not being sufficiently prepared
to impart adequate sex education. The school is not always in a position to
offer that integral vision of the matter which would remain incomplete with
the scientific information alone.
10. Particular difficulties are found in those countries where the urgency of
the problem is not recognised, or where perhaps it is thought that it resolves
itself without specific education.
11. In general, there is need to recognise that one treats of a difficult
undertaking by reason of the complexity of the diverse elements (physical,
psychological, pedagogic, socio-cultural, juridical, moral and religious)
which come together in educational action.
12. Some catholic organisations in different parts - with the approval and
encouragement of the local Episcopate - have begun to carry out a positive
work of sex education; it is directed not only to help children and
adolescents on the way to psychological and spiritual maturity, but also and

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above all to protect them from the dangers of ignorance and widespread
degradation.
13. Also praiseworthy are the efforts of many who, with scientific
seriousness, dedicate themselves to study the problem, moving from the
human sciences and integrating the results of such research in a project
which conforms with human dignity, a project by the light of the Gospel.
DECLARATIONS OF THE MAGISTERIUM
14. The Magisterium's declarations on sex education mark out a course
which satisfies the just requirements of history on the one hand and fidelity
to tradition on the other.(5)
Vatican Council II in the " Declaration on Christian Education " presents
the perspective in which sex education must be set,(6) affirming the right of
young people to receive an education adequate to their personal
requirements.
The Council states: " With the help of advances in psychology and in the art
and science of teaching, children and young people should be assisted in the
harmonious development of their physical, moral and intellectual
endowments. Surmounting hardships with a gallant and steady heart, they
should be helped to acquire gradually a more mature sense of responsibility
towards ennobling their own lives through constant effort, and toward
pursuing authentic freedom. As they advance in years they should be given
positive and prudent sex education ".(7)
15. The Pastoral Constitution " Gaudium et spes ", in speaking of the
dignity of marriage and the family presents the latter as the preferential
place for the education of young people in chastity.(8) But since this is an
aspect of education as a whole, the co-operation of teachers with parents is
needed in the accomplishment of their mission.(9) Such education,
therefore, must be offered within the family to children and adolescents in a
gradual manner, always considering the total formation of the person (10)
16. In the Apostolic Exhortation on the mission of the christian family in
the world as it is, John Paul II reserves an important place to sex education
as valuable to the person. " Education to love as self giving, says the Holy
Father, also constitutes the indispensable premise for parents called to offer
their children a clear and delicate sex education. Faced with a culture which
largely reduces human sexuality to the level of something commonplace,
since it interprets and lives it in a reductive and impoverished way by
linking it solely with the body and with selfish pleasure, the educational
service of parents must aim firmly at a training in the area of sex that is
truly and fully personal: for sexuality is an enrichment of the whole person
- body, emotions and soul - and manifests its inmost meaning in leading the
person to the gift of self in love ".(11)
17. The Holy Father immediately goes on to speak of the school, which is

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responsible for this education in service of and in harmony with parents. "
Sex education, which is a basic right and duty of parents, must also be
carried out under their attentive guidance, whether at home or in
educational centres chosen and controlled by them. In this regard, the
Church reaffirms the law of subsidiarity, which the school is bound to
observe when it cooperates in sex education, by entering into the same spirit
that animates the parents ".(12)
In order for the value of sexuality to reach its full realisation, " education
for chastity is absolutely essential, for it is a virtue that develops a person's
authentic maturity and makes him or her capable of respecting and fostering
the "nuptial meaning " of the body ".(13) It consists in self control, in the
capacity of guiding the sexual instinct to the service of love and of
integrating it in the development of the person. Fruit of the grace of God
and of our cooperation, chastity tends to harmonise the different
components of the human person, and to overcome the frailty of human
nature, marked by sin, so that each person can follow the vocation to which
God has called.
In the commitment to an enlightened education in chastity, "Christian
parents, discerning the signs of God's call, will devote special attention and
care to education in virginity or celibacy as the supreme form of that self
giving that constitutes the very meaning of human sexuality " (14)
19. In the teaching of John Paul II, the positive consideration of values,
which one ought to discover and appreciate, precedes the norm which one
must not violate. This norm, nevertheless, interprets and formulates the
values for which people must strive.
" In view of the close links between the sexual dimension of the person and
his or her ethical values, education must bring the children to a knowledge
of and respect for the moral norms as the necessary and highly valuable
guarantee for responsible personal growth in human sexuality. For this
reason the Church is firmly opposed to an often widespread form of
imparting sex information dissociated from moral principles. That would
merely be an introduction to the experience of pleasure and a stimulus
leading to the loss of serenity - while still in the years of innocence - by
opening the way to vice ".(15)
20. This document, therefore, starting from the christian vision of man and
woman and appealing to the principles enunciated recently by the
Magisterium, desires to present to educators some fundamental guidelines
for sex education and for the conditions and mode of presenting it at the
operative level.
I.
SOME FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
21. Every type of education is inspired by a specific conception of man and
woman. Christian education aims to promote the realisation of man and

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woman through the development of all their being, incarnate spirits, and of
the gifts of nature and of grace by which they are enriched by God.
Christian education is rooted in the faith which " throws a new light on all
things and makes known the full ideal which God has set for man ".(16)
CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF SEXUALITY
22. In the christian vision of man and woman, a particular function of the
body is recognised, because it contributes to the revealing of the meaning
of life and of the human vocation. Corporeality is, in fact, a specific mode
of existing and operating proper to the human spirit: This significance is
first of all of an anthropological nature: the body reveals man,(17) "
expresses the person " (18) and is therefore the first message of God to the
same man and woman, almost a species of " primordial sacrament,
understood as a sign which efficaciously transmits in the visible world the
invisible mystery hidden in God from all eternity " .(19)
23. There is a second significance of a theological nature: the body
contributes to revealing God and his creative love, in as much as it
manifests the creatureliness of man and woman, whose dependence
bestows a fundamental gift, which is the gift of love. " This is the body: a
witness to creation as a fundamental gift, and so a witness to love as the
source from which this same giving springs ".(20)
24. The body, in as much as it is sexual, expresses the vocation of man and
woman to reciprocity, which is to love and to the mutual gift of self.(21)
The body, in short, calls man and woman to the constitutive vocation to
fecundity as one of the fundamental meanings of their being sexual.(22)
25. The sexual distinction, which appears as a determination of human
being, is diversity, but in equality of nature and dignity.(23)
The human person, through his or her intimate nature, exists in relation to
others, implying a reciprocity of love. The sexes are complementary:
similar and dissimilar at the same time; not identical, the same, though, in
dignity of person; they are peers so that they may mutually understand each
other, diverse in their reciprocal completion.
26. Man and woman constitute two modes of realising, on the part of the
human creature, a determined participation in the Divine Being: they are
created in the " image and likeness of God " and they fully accomplish such
vocation not only as single persons, but also as couples, which are
communities of love.(25) Oriented to unity and fecundity, the married man
and woman participate in the creative love of God, living in communion
with Him through the other.(26)
27 The presence of sin obscures original innocence, rendering less easy to
man and woman the perception of these truths: their decipherment has
become an ethical task, the object of a difficult engagement entrusted to
man and woman: " After original sin the man and the woman will lose the
grace of original innocence. The discovery of the nuptial meaning of the
body will cease to be for them a simple reality of revelation and of grace.

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This meaning will remain as a commitment given to man by the ethos of
the gift, inscribed in the depths of the human heart, as a distant echo of
original innocence "(27)
Faced with this capacity of the body to be at the same time sign and
instrument of ethical vocation, one can establish an analogy between the
body itself and sacramental economy, which is the concrete means through
which grace and salvation reach us.
28. Since men and women in their time have been inclined to reduce
sexuality to genital experience alone, there have been reactions tending to
devalue sex, as though by its nature men and women were defiled by it.
These present guidelines intend to oppose such devaluation.
29. " It is only in the Mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of
man truly becomes clear",(28) and human existence acquires its full
meaning in the vocation to the divine life. Only by following Christ does
man respond to this vocation and become so fully man, growing finally to
reach the perfect man in the measure approaching the full maturity of
Christ.(29)
30. In the light of the Mystery of Christ, sexuality appears to us as a
vocation to realise that love which the Holy Spirit instills in the hearts of
the redeemed. Jesus Christ has enriched such vocation with the Sacrament
of Marriage.
31. Furthermore, Jesus has pointed out by word and example the vocation
to virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.(30) Virginity is a
vocation to love: it renders the heart more free to love God.(31) Free of the
duties of conjugal love, the virgin heart can feel, therefore, more disposed
to the gratuitous love of one's brothers and sisters.
In consequence, virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven better
expresses the gift of Christ to the Father on behalf of us and prefigures with
greater precision the reality of eternal life, all substantiated in charity.(32)
Virginity, certainly is a renunciation of the form of love which typifies
marriage, but committed to undertaking in greater profundity the
dynamism, inherent in sexuality, of self-giving openness to others. It seeks
to obtain its strengthening and transfiguring by the presence of the Spirit,
who teaches us to love the Father and the brethren, after the example of the
Lord Jesus.
32. In synthesis, sexuality is called to express different values to which
specific moral exigencies correspond. Oriented towards interpersonal
dialogue, it contributes to the integral maturation of people, opening them
to the gift of self in love; furthermore, tied to the order of creation, to
fecundity and to the transmission of life, it is called to be faithful to this
inner purpose also. Love and fecundity are meanings and values of
sexuality which include and summons each other in turn, and cannot
therefore be considered as either alternatives or opposites.

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33. The affective life, proper to each sex, expresses itself in a characteristic
mode in the different states of life: conjugal union, consecrated celibacy
chosen for the sake of the kingdom, the condition of the christian who has
not yet reached marriage, or who remains celibate, or who has chosen to
remain such. In all these cases the affective life must be gathered and
integrated in the human person.
NATURE, PURPOSE AND MEANS OF SEX EDUCATION
34. A fundamental objective of this education is an adequate knowledge of
the nature and importance of sexuality and of the harmonious and integral
development of the person towards psychological maturity, with full
spiritual maturity in view, to which all believers are called.(33)
To this end, the christian educator will remember the principles of faith and
the different methods of educational aid, taking account of the positive
evaluation which actual pedagogy makes of sexuality.
35. In the christian anthropological perspective, affective-sex education
must consider the totality of the person and insist therefore on the
integration of the biological, psycho-affective, social and spiritual elements.
This integration has become more difficult because the believer also bears
the consequences of sin from the beginning.
A true " formation ", is not limited to the informing of the intellect, but
must pay particular attention to the will, to feelings and emotions. In fact, in
order to move to maturation in affective-sexual life, self control is
necessary, which presupposes such virtues as modesty, temperance, respect
for self and for others, openness to one's neighbour.
All this is not possible if not in the power of the salvation which comes
from Jesus Christ.
36. Also, if the modes are diverse which sexuality assumes in single people,
education must first of all promote that mafiurity which " entails not only
accepting sex as part of the totality of human values, but also seeing it as
giving a possibility for " offering ", that is, a capacity for giving pure love,
altruistic love. When such a capacity is sufficiently acquired, an individual
becomes capable of spontaneous contacts, emotional self control and
commitment of his free will ".(34)
37. Contemporary pedagogy of christian inspiration sees in the person
being educated, considered in all his or her totality and complexity, the
principle subject of education. He or she must be helped to develop
capacities for good, above all in a trustworthy relationship. This is very
easily forgotten when excessive weight is given to simple information, at
the expense of other dimensions of sex education. In education, in fact, a
knowledge of new notions is of utmost importance, but enlivened by the
assimilation of corresponding values and by a lively grasp of understanding
of the personal responsibilities associated with entry into adulthood.
38. Given the repercussions which sexuality has in the whole person, it is

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necessary that multiple aspects be kept in mind: conditions of health, the
influence of the family and the social environment, impressions received
and the reactions, of the pupil, education of the will, and the degree of
development of spiritual life sustained with the help of grace.
39. All that has been stated so far serves educators in helping and guiding
the formation of personality in the young. They must stimulate them to a
critical reflection on received impressions, and, while they propose values,
must give testimony of an authentic spiritual life, both personal and
communal.
40. Having seen the close links existing between morality and sexuality, it
is necessary that the knowledge of moral norms be accompained by clear
motivation, so as to bring a sincere personal adherence to maturity.
41. Contemporary pedagogy has full consciousness of the fact that human
life is characterised by a constant evolution and that personal formation is a
permanent process. This is also according to age true for sexuality, which
expresses itself with particular characteristics in the different phases of life.
It evidently brings riches and notable difficulties at every stage of
maturation.
42. Educators will have to bear in mind the fundamental stages of such
evolution: the primitive instinct, which in the beginning is manifested in a
rudimentary state, meets in its turn the ambivalence of good and evil. Then
with the help of education, the feelings are stabilised and at the same time
augment the sense of responsibility. Gradually selfishness is eliminated, a
certain asceticism is stabilised, others are accepted and loved for
themselves, the elements of sexuality are integrated: genitality, eroticism,
love and charity. Also if the result is not always fully attained, they are
more numerous than may be thought who come near the goal to which they
aspire.
43. Christian educators are persuaded that sex education is realised in full
in the context of faith. Incorporated by Baptism into the Risen Christ, the
christian knows that his or her body, too, has been vivified and purified by
the Spirit which Jesus communicates.(35)
Faith in the mystery of the Risen Christ, which through his Spirit actualises
and prolongs in the faithful the paschal mystery, uncovers in the believer
the vocation to the resurrection of the flesh, already begun thanks to the
Spirit who dwells in the just as pledge and seed of the total and definitive
resurrection.
44. The disorder provoked by sin, present and operating in the individual as
well as in the culture which characterises society, exercises a strong
pressure to conceive and live sexuality in a manner opposed to the law of
Christ, according to that which St. Paul called the law of sin.(36) At times,
economic structures, state laws, mass media and systems of life in the great
metropoloi are factors which negatively impinge on people. Christian
education takes note of this and indicates guidelines for responsibly
opposing such influences.

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45. This constant endeavour is sustained and rendered possible by divine
grace through the Word of God received in faith, through prayer and
through participation in the sacraments. In first place is the Eucharist,
communion with Christ in the same act as his sacrifice, where effectively
the young believer finds the bread of life as viaticum in order to face and
overcome the obstacles on his or her earthly pilgrimage. The Sacrament of
Reconciliation, through the grace that is proper to it and with the help of
spiritual direction, not only reinforces the capacity for resistance to evil but
also gives the courage to pick oneself up after a fall.
These sacraments are offered and celebrated in the ecclesial community.
Those who are vitally involved in such community draw from the
sacraments the strength to realise a chaste life, according to their state.
46 Personal and community prayer is the indispensable means for obtaining
from God the necessary strength to keep faith with one's baptismal
obligations, for resisting the impulses of human nature wounded by sin, and
for balancing the emotions provoked by negative influences in the
environment.
The spirit of prayer helps us to live coherently the practice of the
evangelical virtues of faithfulness and sincerity of heart, of poverty and
humility in the daily effort of work and of commitment to one's neighbour.
The interior life gives rise to christian joy which wins the battle against
evil, beyond every moralism and pyschological aid.
From frequent and intimate contact with the Lord, everyone, especially the
young, will derive the strength and enthusiasm for a pure life and they will
realise their human and christian vocation in peaceful self control and in
generous giving to others.
The importance of these considerations can escape noone. Today, in fact,
many people, implicitly or explicitly, hold a pessimistic interpretation of the
capacity of human nature to accomplish a life-long commitment, especially
in marriage. Christian education should raise the confidence of the young
so that their understanding of and preparation for life-long commitment be
secured with the certainty that God will help them with His grace to
accomplish His purposes.
47. Imitation of and union with Christ, lived and handed on by the saints,
are the most profound motivation for our hope of realising the highest ideal
of a chaste life, unattainable by human effort alone.
The Virgin Mary is the eminent example of christian life. The Church,
through centuries of experience is convinced that the faithful, especially the
young, by devotion to her, have known how to realise this ideal.
II.
RESPONSIBILITY IN PUTTING SEX EDUCATION
INTO EFFECT
FUNCTION OF THE FAMILY

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48. Education, in the first place, is the duty of the family, which " is the
school of richest humanity".(37) It is, in fact, the best environment to
accomplish the obligation of securing a gradual education in sexual life.
The family has an affective dignity which is suited to making acceptable
without trauma the most delicate realities and to integrating them
harmoniously, in a balanced and rich personality.
49. The affection and reciprocal trust which exist in the family are
necessary for the harmonious and balanced development of the child right
from birth. So that the affective natural bonds which unite parents to
children be positive in the highest degree, parents are in pride of place in
realising a peaceful sexual balance, and in establishing a relationship of
trust and of dialogue with their, children in a manner appropriate to their
age and development.
50. In order to be able to give efficacious guidance, which is necessary for
resolving the problems which arise, prior to any theoretical knowledge,
adults are to be exemplary in their conduct. Christian parents must know
that their example represents the most valid contribution in the education of
their children. These, in their turn, can come to certainty that the christian
ideal is a reality experienced within the family itself.
51. Openness and collaboration of parents with other educators who are co-
responsible for formation, will positively influence the maturation of young
people. The theoretical preparation and the experience of parents will help
their children to understand the value and specific role of the reality of man
and woman.
52 The full realisation of conjugal life and, in consequence, the sanctity and
stability of the family, depend on the formation of conscience and on values
assimilated during the whole formative cycle of the parents themselves.
Moral values seen in the family are transmitted to the children more easily.
(38) Among these moral values, respect for life in the womb and, in
general, respect for people of every age and condition have great
importance. The young must be helped to understand, appreciate and
respect these fundamental values of existence.
In view of the importance of these elements for christian life, and also in
the perspective of a divine call to the children to the priesthood or
consecrated life, sex education acquires an ecclesial dimension.
THE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY
53. The Church, mother of the faithful born of her to the faith in Baptism,
has an educative mission entrusted by Christ, which is realised especially
through proclamation, full communion with God and one's fellows,
conscientious and active participation in the eucharistic liturgy and through
apostolic activity.(39) By being open to life the ecclesial community
constitutes an environment adequate to the assimilation of the christian
ethic in which the faithful learn to witness to the Good News.
54. The difficulties which sex education often encounters within the bosom

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of the family solicit a major commitment on the part of the christian
community and, in particular, of priests to collaborate in the education of
the baptised. In this field, the catholic school, the parish and other ecclesial
institutions are called to collaborate with the family.
55. From the ecclesial character of the faith derives the co-responsibility of
the christian community in helping the baptised to live coherently and
knowledgeably the obligations taken on with baptism. It is the
responsibility of the Bishops to establish norms and guidelines adapted to
the necessities of the individual churches.
CATECHESIS AND SEX EDUCATION
56. Catechesis is called to be the fertile field for the renewal of all the
ecclesial community. Therefore, in order to lead the faithful to maturity of
faith, it must illustrate the positive values of sexuality, integrating them
with those of virginity and marriage, in the light of the mystery of Christ
and of the Church.
This catechesis should bring into relief that the first vocation of the
christian is to love, and that the vocation to love is realised in two diverse
ways: in marriage, or in a life of celibacy for love of the kingdom.(40)
"Marriage and virginity are the two modes of expressing and living the one
mystery of the Covenant of God with His people".(41)
57. So that families may be certain that catechesis is by no means apart
from the Magisterium, pastors are to be involved both in the selection and
preparation of responsible Magisterium personnel and in the determination
of content and method.
58. From what has been said above in n. 48, the fact remains ever valid that
with regard to the more intimate aspects, whether biological or affective, an
individual education should be bestowed, preferably within the sphere of
the family.
59. It being understood that catechesis realised in the family constitutes a
privileged form, if parents do not feel able to perform this duty, they may
have recourse to others who enjoy their confidence. A wise initiative,
prudent and adapted to age and environment, can avoid traumas for
children and render to them more easy the solution of sexual problems.
PRE-MARRIAGE CATECHESIS
60. A fundamental aspect of the preparation of the young for marriage
consists in giving them an exact vision of the christian ethic regarding
sexuality. Catechesis offers the advantage of facing sexuality in the
immediate prospect of marriage. But for its full success, this catechesis
must be conveniently continued by developing a true and proper
catechumenate. It aspires therefore to sustain and strengthen the chastity
proper to the engaged in preparation for conjugal life viewed in a christian
manner, and to the specific mission which the married have amongst the
People of God. ,

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61. Future spouses must know the profound significance of marriage,
understood as a union of love for the realisation of the couple and for
procreation. The stability of marriage and of conjugal love requires as
indispensable conditions: chastity and self control, the formation of
character and the spirit of sacrifice. With regard to certain difficulties of
married life, rendered more acute by the conditions of our time, chastity
during one's youth as an adequate preparation for marital chastity will be a
decisive help to the married. They will need therefore to be informed about
the divine law, declared by the ecclesiastical Magisterium, necessary for the
formation of their consciences.(42)
62 Instructed in the value and greatness of the Sacrament of Matrimony,
which specifies for them the grace and vocation of baptism, christian
spouses will know how to live conscienciously the values and specific
obligations of their moral lives as requirement and fruit of the grace and
action of the Spirit, " fortified and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and
dignity of their state by a special sacrament ".(43)
Therefore, in order to live their sexuality and to carry out their
responsibilities in accord with God's plan,(44) it is important that spouses
have knowledge of the natural methods of regulating their fertility. As John
Paul II has said, "every effort must be made to render such knowledge
accessible to all married people and also to young adults before marriage,
through clear, timely and serious instruction and education given by
married couples, doctors and experts ".(45) Evidently, contraception,
insistently propagated today, constrasts with these christian ideals and these
moral norms of which the Church is teacher. This fact renders still more
urgent the necessity of transmitting to the young at an appropriate age the
teaching of the Church on artificial means of contraception, and the reasons
for such teaching, so that the young may be prepared for responsible
marriage, full of love and open to life.
GUIDELINES FOR ADULTS
63. A solid catechetical preparation of adults on human love establishes the
foundations for the sex education of children. Thus the possession of
human maturity illumined by faith in secured, which will be decisive in the
dialogue which adults are called to establish with the new generations.
Further to indications concerning methods to be used, such catechesis will
favour an appropriate exchange of ideas on particular problems, will make
the teaching aids for use better known, and will permit eventual encounters
with experts, whose collaboration could be particularly useful in difficult
cases.
TASK OF CIVIL SOCIETY
64. The person should find in society existing expressions and experiences
of values which exercise an influence not secondary on the formative
process. Therefore, it will be the task of civil society, in as much as it treats
the common good,(46) to be watchful so that a wise physical and moral
environment be secured in schools, and conditions which respond to the
positive requests of parents, or receive their free support, be promoted.

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65. It is the task of the State to safeguard its citizens against injustices and
moral disorders, such as the abuse of minors and every form of sexual
violence, degrading dress, permissiveness and pornography, and the
improper use of demographic information.
RESPONSIBILITY IN EDUCATION IN THE USE OF THE
INSTRUMENTS
OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
66. In the actual world, the instruments of social communication, by their
intrusiveness and suggestion, display to youth and the very young - also
and above all in the field of sex education - a continuous and conditioning
stream of information and training, which is very much more trenchant than
that of one's own family.
John Paul II has indicated the situation in which children find themselves
confronted by the instruments of social communication: " Fascinated and
devoid of defence before the world and adults, children are naturally ready
to accept whatever is offered to them, whether good or bad... They are
attracted by the " small screen ", they follow each gesture which is
portrayed and they perceive, before and better than every other person, the
emotions and feelings which result ".(47)
67. It is therefore to be noted that by the same technological evolution, the
necessary control is rendered less easy and opportune. There is an urgency -
for proper sex education, too - that " those who are at the receiving end of
the media, and especially the young, should learn moderation and discipline
in their use of them. They should aim to understand fully what they see,
hear and read. They should discuss them with their teachers and with
experts in such matters and should learn to reach correct judgements ".(48)
68 In defence of the rights of the child in this area, John Paul II stimulates
the consciences of all responsible christians, especially parents and
operators of the instruments of social communication, so that they do not
hide behind the pretext of neutrality and respect for the spontaneous
development of the child, since in reality this is behaviour of preoccupying
indifference.(49)
Particular duties " in this matter are incumbent on civil authority in view of
the common good ",(50) which requires the juridical regulation of the
instruments of social communication to protect public morality, in
particular the world of youth, especially with regard to magazines, films,
radio and television programmes, exhibitions, shows and publicity.
TASK OF THE SCHOOL WITH REGARD TO SEX EDUCATION
69. It being understood from what has been said on the primary duty of the
family, the rôle of the school should be that of assisting and completing the
work of parents, furnishing children and adolescents with an evaluation of "
sexuality as value and task of the whole person, created male and female in
the image of God ".(51)

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70. Interpersonal dialogue required by sex education, tends to kindle in the
pupil an interior disposition suited to motivating and guiding personal
behaviour. Such a point of view is strictly connected to the values inspired
by the concept of life. Sex education is not reducible to simple teaching
material, nor to theoretical knowledge alone, nor does it consist of a
programme to be carried out progressively, but it has a specific objective in
view: that affective maturation of the pupil, of self control, and of correct
behaviour in social relationships.
71. The school can contribute to the realisation of this objective in various
ways. All matters can offer an opportunity to treat themes in their relation
to sexuality; the teacher will do so always in a positive key and with great
delicacy, concretely evaluating the opportunity and the methods. Individual
sex education always retains prior value and can not be entrusted
indiscrimately to just any member of the school community. In fact, as will
be specified in what follows, as well as right judgement, sense of
responsibility, professional competence, affective and decent maturity, this
education requires from the teacher outstanding sensitivity in initiating the
child and adolescent in the problems of love and life without disturbing
their psychological development.
72 Also, though the teacher possess the necessary qualities for sex
education in groups, it is necessary always to consider the concrete
situation of such groups. This applies above all in mixed groups, since these
require special precautions. In each case, the responsible authorities must
examine with parents the propriety of proceeding in such a manner. Given
the complexity of the problem, it is good to reserve for the pupil a time for
personal dialogue in order to accomodate the seeking of advice or
clarification - which a natural sense of decency would not allow to arise in
front of others. Only a strict collaboration between the school and the
family will be able to guarantee an advantageous exchange of experience
between parents and teachers for the good of the pupils.(52) It is the
responsibility of Bishops, taking account of school legislation and local
circumstances, to establish guidelines for sex education in groups, above all
if they are mixed.
73 It can sometimes happen that particular events in the life of the school
render a timely intervention necessary. In such cases, the school authorities,
in accordance with the principle of collaboration, will contact parents
interested in agreeing on an appropriate solution.
74 Persons particularly suited by competence and balance, and who enjoy
the trust of parents, can be invited to hold private conversations with pupils
to help them to develop their affective maturity and to give the right
balance in their social relationships. Such interventions in personal
guidance belong in particular to the more difficult cases, at least when the
gravity of the situation makes necessary recourse to a specialist in the
matter.
75 The formation and development of an harmonious personality require a
peaceful atmostphere, fruitful understanding, reciprocal trust and
collaboration between persons in charge. It is obtained with mutual respect

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for the specific competence of the various members of the educational staff,
their responsibilities and the choice of the differentiated means at their
disposal.
APPROPRIATE TEACHING MATERIALS
76. In order to offer correct sex education, appropriate teaching materials
can be of assistance. The elaboration of such materials requires the
contribution of specialists in moral and pastoral theology, of catechists, of
educationists and catholic psychologists. Particular attention is to be paid to
the materials to be used by the pupils themselves.
Some school text-books on sexuality, by reason of their naturalist character,
are harmful to the child and the adolescent. Graphic and audio-visual
materials are more harmful when they crudely present sexual realities for
which the pupil is not prepared, and thus create traumatic impressions or
raise an unhealthy curiosity which leads to evil. Let teachers think seriously
of the grave harm that an irresponsible attitude in such delicate matters can
cause in pupils.
YOUTH GROUPS
77. There exists in education a not negligible factor which goes side by side
with the action of the family and the school and which frequently has an
even greater influence in the formation of the person: these are youth
groups, constituted in leisure time, which impinge intensely on the life of
the adolescent and young adult. The human sciences hold that " groups "
are a positive condition for formation, because the maturation of the
personality is not possible without efficacious personal relationships.
III.
CONDITIONS AND MODE OF SEX EDUCATION
78. The complexity and delicacy of the task requires accurate preparation of
teachers, specific qualities in the way the matter is treated and particular
attention to precise objectives.
PREPARATION OF TEACHERS
79. The mature personality of the teachers, their training and psychological
balance strongly influence their pupils. An exact and complete vision of the
meaning and value of sexuality and a peaceful integration within the
personality itself are indispensable for teachers in constructive education.
Their training takes shape according to environment. Their ability is not so
much the fruit of theoretical knowledge but rather the result of their
affective maturity. This does not dispense with the acquisition of scientific
knowledge suited to their educational work, which is particularly arduous
these days. Meetings with parents can be of great help.
80. The dispositions which must characterise the teacher are the result of a
general formation, founded on a positive and professional constructive
concept of life, and of constant effort in realising it. Such a formation goes

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beyond the purely necessary professional training and addresses the more
intimate aspects of the personality, including the religious and the spiritual.
This last will be the guarantee of a recourse to christian principles, which,
by supernatural means, must sustain the educational enterprise.
81. The teacher who carries out his or her task outside the family context
needs a suitable and serious psychopedagogic training which allows the
seizing of particular situations which require a special solicitude. A high
degree of this is needed when, in consultation with the parents, a boy or girl
needs a psychologist.
82. Beyond the normal topics and pathological cases, there is a whole range
of individuals with problems more or less acute and persistent, which risk
being little cured, yet are truly in need of help. In these cases, in addition to
therapy at the medical level, constant support and guidance on the part of
teachers is needed.
QUALITY OF TEACHING METHODS
83. A clear vision of the situation is required because the method adopted
not only gradually conditions the success of this delicate education, but also
conditions cooperation between the various people in responsibility. In
reality, the criticisms normally raised refer more to the methods used by
some teachers than to the enterprise itself. These methods must have
definite qualities, both in the same teachers and in the end to which such
education is proposed.
NEEDS OF THE PUPIL AND EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
84. Affective-sex education, being more conditioned than others by the
degree of physical and psychological development of the pupil, must
always be adapted to the individual. In certain cases it is necessary to
advise the pupil in preparation for particularly difficult situations, when it is
foreseen that the pupil will have to encounter them, or forewarn him or her
of imminent or permanent dangers.
85. It is necessary therefore to respect the progressive character of this
education. A proper gradual progress of initiatives must be attentive to the
stages of physical and psychological growth, which require a more careful
preparation and a prolonged period of maturation. One needs to be assured
that the pupil has assimilated the values, the knowledge and the motivation
which has been proposed, or the changes and the evolution which he or she
could observe in him or herself and of which the teacher opportunely
indicates the causes, the connections and the purpose.
QUALITY OF THE TEACHER
86. In order to make a valid contribution to the harmonious and balanced
development of the young, teachers must regulate their teaching according
to the particular rôle which falls to them. The pupil neither perceives nor
receives in the same manner from different teachers the information and
motivation which they give, because different teachers affect his or her

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intimacy in a different way. Objectivity and prudence must characterise
such teaching.
87. Progressive information requires a partial explanation, but always
according to truth. Explanations must not be distorted by reticence or by
lack of frankness. Prudence therefore requires of the teacher not only an
appropriate adaption of the matter to the expectations of the pupil, but also
a choice of language, mode and time in which the teaching is carried out.
This requires that the child's sense of decency be taken into account. The
teacher, moreover, remembers the influence of parents: their preoccupation
with this dimension of education, the particular character of family
education, their concept of life, and their degree of openness to other
educational spheres.
88. One must insist first of all on the human and christian values of
sexuality, so that pupils can appreciate them, and so that the desire to realise
them in one's personal life and relationships may be roused. Without
disregarding the difficulties which sexual development involves, but
without creating an obsessive state, the teacher may have confidence in the
educational enterprise: it can rely on the resonance which true values strike
in the young, when they are presented with conviction and are confirmed
by testimony of life.
89. Given the importance of sex education in the integral formation of the
person, teachers, taking account of the various aspects of sexuality and of
their incidence in the global personality, are urged in particular not to
separate knowledge from corresponding values, which give a sense and
orientation to biological, psychological and social information.
Consequently, when they present moral norms, it is necessary , that they
show how find their raison d'etre and value.
EDUCATION FOR MODESTY AND FRIENDSHIP
90. Modesty, a fundamental component of the personality, may be
considered - on the ethical level - as the vigilant knowledge which defends
the dignity of man, woman and authentic love. It tends to react to certain
attitudes and to curb behaviour which stains the dignity of the person. It is a
necessary and effective means of controlling the instincts, making authentic
love flower, integrating the affective-sexual life in the harmonions picture
of the person. Modesty has great pedagogic weight and must therefore be
respected. Children and young people will thus learn to respect the body
itself as a gift from God, member of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit;
they will learn to resist the evil which surrounds them and to have a vision
and clear imagination to seek to express a truly human love with all its
spiritual components when they meet people in friendship.
91. To such an end, concrete and attractive models of virtue are to be
presented, the aesthetic sense be developed, inspiring a taste for the beauty
present in nature, in art and in moral life; the young are to be educated to
assimilate a system of sensible and spiritual values in an unselfish impetus
of faith and love.

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92. Friendship is the height of affective maturation and differs from mere
cameraderie by its interior dimension, by communication which allows and
fosters true communion, by its reciprocal generosity and its stability.
Education for friendship can become a factor of extraordinary importance
in the making of the personality in its individual and social dimensions.
93. The bonds of friendship which unite the young of both sexes contribute
both to understanding and to reciprocal respect when they are maintained
within the limits of normal affective expression. If however they become or
tend to become manifestations of a genital character, they lose the authentic
meaning of mature friendship, prejudice the relationships involved and the
future prospects with regard to an eventual marriage, and render the
individuals concerned less attentive to a possible call to the consecrated
life.
IV.
SOME PARTICULAR PROBLEMS
The teacher may find that in carrying out his or her mission, he or she may
be confronted by several particular problems, which we treat here.
94. Sex education must lead the young to take cognisance of the different
expressions and dynamisms of sexuality and of the human values which
must be respected. True love is the capacity to open oneself to one's
neighbour in generosity, and in devotion to the other for the other's good; it
knows how to respect the personality and the freedom of the other,(53) it is
self giving, not possessive. The sex instinct, on the other hand, if
abandoned to itself, is reduced to the merely genital, and tends to take
possession of the other, immediately seeking personal gratification.
95. Relationships of sexual intimacy are reserved to marriage, because only
then is the inseparable connection secured - which God wants - between the
unitive and the procreative meaning of such matters, which are ordained to
maintain, confirm and express a definitive communion of life - " one flesh
"(54) - mediating the realisation of a love that is " human " " total " "
faithful " " creative "(55) which is marital love. Therefore, sexual relations
outside the context of marriage constitute a grave disorder, because they are
reserved to a reality which does not yet exist;(56) they are a language
which is not found in the objective reality of the life of the two persons, not
yet constituted in definitive community with the necessary recognition and
guarantee of civil and, for catholic spouses, religious society.
96. It seems that there is a spread amongst adolescents and young adults of
certain manifestations of a sexual kind which of themselves tend to
complete encounter, though without reaching its realisation: manifestations
of the merely genital which are a moral disorder because they are outside
the matrimonial context of authentic love.
97. Sex education will help adolescents to discover the profound values of
love, and to understand the harm which such manifestations do to their
affective maturation, in as much as they lead to an encounter which is not
personal, but instinctive, often weakened by reservations and egoistic

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calculations, without therefore the character of true personal relationship
and so much less definitive. An authentic education will lead the young
towards maturity and self-control, the fruit of conscientious choice and
personal effort.
98. It is the task of sex education to promote a continuous progress in the
control of the impulses to effect an opening, in due course, to true and self
giving love. A particularly complex and delicate problem which can be
present is that of masturbation and of its repercussions on the integral
growth of the person. Masturbation, according to catholic doctrine
constitutes a grave moral disorder,(57) principally because it is the use of
the sexual faculty in a way which essentially contradicts its finality, not
being at the service of love and life according to the design of God.(58)
99. A teacher and perspicacious counsellor must endeavour to identify the
causes of the deviation in order to help the adolescent to overcome the
immaturity underlying this habit. From an educative point of view, it is
necessary to consider masturbation and other forms of autoeroticism as
symptoms of problems much more profound, which provoke sexual tension
which the individual seeks to resolve by recourse to such behaviour.
Pedagogic action, therefore, should be directed more to the causes than to
the direct repression of the phenomenon.(59)
Whilst taking account of the objective gravity of masturbation, it is
necessary to be cautious in evaluating the subjective responsibility of the
person.(60)
100. In order that the adolescent be helped to feel accepted in a communion
of charity and freed from self enclosure, the teacher "should undramatise
masturbation and not reduce his or her esteem and benevolence for the
pupil".(61) The teacher will help the pupil towards social integration, to be
open and interested in others; to be able to be free from this form of
autoeroticism, advancing towards self giving love, proper to mature
affectivity; at the same time, the teacher will encourage the pupil to have
recourse to the recommended means of christian asceticism, such as prayer
and the sacraments, and to be involved in works of justice and charity.
101. Homosexuality, which impedes the person's acquisition of sexual
maturity, whether from the individual point of view, or the inter-personal, is
a problem which must be faced in all objectivity by the pupil and the
educator when the case presents itself.
" Pastorally, these homosexuals must be received with understanding and
supported in the hope of overcoming their personal difficulties and their
social mal-adaption, their culpability will be judged with prudence; but no
pastoral method can be used which, holding that these acts conform to the
condition of these persons, accord them a moral justification.
" According to the objective moral order, homosexual relations are acts
deprived of their essential and indispensable rule ".(62)
102. It will be the duty of the family and the teacher to seek first of all to

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identify the factors which drive towards homosexuality: to see if it is a
question of physiological or psycho logical factors; if it be the result of a
false education or of the lack of normal sexual evolution; if it comes from a
contracted habit or from bad example;(63) or from other factors. More
particularly, in seeking the causes of this disorder, the family and the
teacher will have to take account of the elements of judgement proposed by
the ecclesiastical
Magisterium, and be served by the contribution which various disciplines
can offer. One must, in fact, investigate elements of diverse order: lack of
affection, immaturity, obsessive impulses, seduction, social isolation and
other types of frustration, depravation in dress, license in shows and
publications. In greater profundity lies the innate frailty of man and woman,
the consequence of original sin; it can run to the loss of the sense of God
and of man and woman, and have its repercussions in the sphere of
sexuality.(64)
103. The causes having been sought and understood, the family and the
teacher will offer an efficacious help in the process of integral growth:
welcoming with understanding, creating a climate of hope, encouraging the
emancipation of the individual and his or her growth in self control,
promoting an authentic moral force towards conversion to the love of God
and neighbour, suggesting - if necessary - medical-psychological assistance
from persons attentive to and respectful of the teaching of the Church.
104. A permissive society which does not offer valid values on which to
found one's life promotes alienating escapism, to which the young are
subject in a particular way. Their idealism encounters the harshness of life,
causing a tension which can provoke, because of the frailty of the will, a
destructive escape in drugs.
This is one of the problems which is getting worse and which assumes
dramatic tones for the teacher. Some psychotropic substances raise the
sensibility for sexual pleasure and in general diminish the capacity for self
control and thereby for defense. The prolonged abuse of drugs leads to
physical and psychological destruction. Drugs, mistaken autonomy and
sexual disorders are often found together. The psychological situation and
the human context of isolation being such, many people give up, addicts
living in rebellion, creating conditions which easily lead into sexual
abuses.
105. Remedial intervention, which calls for a profound transformation of
the individual from within and without, is laborious and long, because it
must help to reconstruct the personality and relationships with the world of
people and values. Preventative action is more efficacious. It secures the
avoidance of deep, affective decline. It is love and care which educate
towards value, dignity, respect for life, for the body, for sex, for health. The
civil and christian community must know how to timely welcome the
young who are abandoned, alone, insecure, helping them to be included in
study and in work, to occupy their free time, offering them healthy places
for meeting, happiness, activity, furnishing them with occasions for
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In particular, sport, which is at the service of man and woman, possesses a
great educative value, not only as bodily discipline, but also as a healthy
relaxation in which young people are encouraged to renounce their egotism
and to meet other people. Only a freedom which is authentic, educated,
aided and promoted offers protection from the quest for illusory liberty of
drugs and sex.
CONCLUSION
106. From these reflections one can conclude that in the actual socio-
cultural situation there is urgent need to give positive and gradual affective-
sex education to children, adolescents and young adults, paying attention to
the dispositions of Vatican Council II. Silence is not a valid norm of
conduct in this matter, above all when one thinks of the " hidden persuaders
" which use insinuating language. Their influence today is undeniable: it is
up to parents, therefore, to be alert not only to repair the harm caused by
inappropriate and injurious interventions, but above all to opportunely
inform their own children, offering them a positive and convincing
education.
107. The defense of the fundamental rights of the child and the adolescent
for the harmonious and complete development of the personality conforms
to the dignity of the children of God, and belongs in first place to parents.
Personal maturation requires, in fact, a continuity in the educative process,
protected by love and trust, proper to the family environment.
108. In accomplishing her mission the Church has the duty and the right to
take care of the moral education of the baptised.
The contribution of the school in all education, and particularly in these
matters which are so delicate, must be carried out in agreement with the
family.
This presupposes in teachers and in others involved, whether implicitly or
explicitly, a correct criterion for the purpose of their contribution, and
training in order to be able to treat these matters with delicacy and in a
climate of serene trust.
109. So that information and affective-sex education may be efficacious, it
must be carried out with timely prudence, with adequate expression, and
preferably in an individual form. The outcome of this education will depend
largely on the human and christian vision in which the educator presents the
values of life and love.
110. The christian educator, whether father or mother of the family, teacher,
priest or whoever bears responsibility in this regard, can be tempted, today
above all, to demand , from others this task which needs such delicacy,
principle, patience and courage, and which requires committed generosity
in the pupil. It is necessary, therefore, before concluding, to reaffirm that
this aspect of education is firstly a work of faith for the christian, and of
faithful recourse to grace: each aspect of sex education, in fact, is inspired
by faith, and draws indispensable strength from it and from grace. The

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Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians puts self-control and temperance within
the ambit which the Holy Spirit, and He alone, can establish in the believer.
It is God who bestows light, it is God who grants sufficient strength.(65)
111. The Congregation for Catholic Education turns to Episcopal
Conferences so that they promote the union of parents, of christian
communities, and of educators for convergent action in such an important
sector for the future of young people and the good of society. The
Congregation makes this invitation to assume this educational commitment
in reciprocal trust and with the highest regard for rights and specific
competences, with a complete christian formation in view.
Rome, November 1st, Feast of All Saints
WILLIAM Card. BAUM
Prefect
Antonio M. Javierre, Secretary
Titular Archbishop of Meta
(1) Vatican Council II: Decl. Gravissimum educationis, n. 1 .
(2) Ibid.
(3) S. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Declaration on Certain
Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics, The Human Person, 29th. December,
1975, AAS 68 (1976) p. 77, n.1 .
(4) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris consortio, 22nd.
November, 1981, AAS 74 (1982) p. 128, n. 37: cf. infra n. 16.
(5) Pius XI, in his Encyclical Divini illius Magistri, of 31st. December,
1929, declared erroneous the sex education which was presented at that
time, which was information of a naturalist character, precociously and
indiscriminately imparted. (AAS 22 (1930) pp. 49-86). The Decree of the
Holy Office of 21st. March, 1931 (AAS 23 (1931 ) pp. 118-119) must be
read in this perspective. However, Pius XI considered the possibility of an
individual, positive sex education " on the part of those who have received
from God the educational mission and the grace of state ". (AAS 22 (1930)
p. 71) . This positive value of sex education indicated by Pius XI has been
gradually developed by successive Pontiffs. Pius XII, in his discourse to the
Vth. International Congress of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, 13th.
April, 1953 (AAS 45 (1953) pp. 278-286) and in his allocution to Italian
Women of " Azione Cattolica ", 26th. October, 1941 (AAS 33 (1941) pp.
450-458) defines how sex education should be conducted within the ambit
of the family. (Cf. also, Pius XII; to the Carmelites: AAS 43 (1951) pp.

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734-738; to French Parents: AAS 43 (1951) pp. 730-734) The Teaching of
Pius XII prepared the way to the Conciliar Declaration Gravissimum
educationis.
(6) Cf. Gravissimum educationis, n. 1.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Cf. Vat. II: Const. Gaudium et spes, n. 49.
(9) Cf. Gravissimum educationis, n. 5.
(10) Ibid., n. 3; cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 52.
(11) Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(12) Ibid.
(13) Ibid.
(14) Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(15) Ibid.
(16) Gaudium et spes, n. 11.
(17) John Paul II: General Audience, 14th. November, 1979, Teaching of
John Paul II, II-2, 1979, p. 1156, n. 4.
(18) John Paul II : General Audience, 9th. January, 1980, Teaching of John
Paul II, III- I , 1980, p. 90, n. 4.
(19) John Paul II: General Audience, 20th. February, 1980, Teaching of
John Paul II, III-I, 1980, p. 430, n. 4.
(20) John Paul II : General Audience, 9th. January, 1980, Teaching of John
Paul II, III-I, 1980, p. 90, n. 4.
(21) " Precisely by traversing the depth of that original solitude, man now
emerges in the dimension of the mutual gift, the expression of which - and
for that very reason the expression of his existence as a person - is the
human body in all the original truth of its masculinity and femininity. The
body, which expresses masculinity 'for' femininity and, viceversa,
femininity 'for' masculinity, manifests the reciprocity and communion of
persons. It expresses it by means of the gift as the fundamental
characteristic of personal existence ". Ibid.
(22) Cf. John Paul II : General Audience, 26th. March, 1980, Teaching of
John Paul II, III-I, 1980, pp. 737-74I

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(23) Gaudium et spes, n. 49.
(24) Ibid. n. 12.
(25) Ibid., in which comment is made on the social sense of Gen. 1, 27.
(26) Ibid., nn. 47-52.
(27) John Paul I I : General Audience, 20th. February, 1980, Teaching of
John Paul II, III-I, 1980, p. 429, n. 2.
(28) Gaudium et spes, n. 22.
(29) Cf Eph. 4, 13.
(30) Cf. Mt. 19, 3-12.
(31) Cf. I Cor. 7, 32-34.
(32) Cf. I Cor. 13, 4-8; cf. Familiaris consortio, n. 16.
(33) Cf. Vat. II : Const. Lumen gentium, n. 39.
(34) S. Congregation for Catholic Education: A Guide to Formation in
Priestly Celibacy, 11th. April, 1974, n. 22.
(35) Cf. I Cor. 6, 15, 19-20.
(36) Cf. Rom. 7, 18-23.
(37) Gaudium et spes, n. 52; cf. Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(38) Cf. Familiaris consortio, n. 37.
(39) Cf. Gravissimum educationis, n. 3-4; cf. Pius XI, Divini illius
Magistri, l.c., pp. 53f., 56f.
(40) Cf. Familiaris consortio, n. II.
(41) Ibid., n. 16.
(42) Cf. Paul VI, Encyc. Letter, Humanae vitae, 25th. July, 1968, AAS 60
(1968) p. 493 ff., n.17 ff.
(43) Gaudium et spes, n. 48.
(44) Cf. Humanae vitae, n. 10.
(45) Familiaris consortio, n. 33. On actual contraceptive propaganda
widely diffused cf. Humanae vitae, nn. 14-17.

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(46) Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 26; cf. Humanae vitae, n. 23.
(47) John Paul II, Message for the XIII World Communications Day, 23rd.
May, 1979, AAS 71, (1979-II) p. 930.
(48)Vat. II: Dec. Inter mirifica, n. 10; cf. Pontifical Commission for Social
Communications : Past. Inst. Communio et Progressio, AAS 63 (1971) p.
619, n. 68.
(49) Cf. John Paul II: Message for the XIII World Communications Day,
23rd. May, (1979) AAS 71 (1979-II) pp. 930-933.
(50) Inter mirifica, n. 12.
(51) Familiaris consortio, n. 32.
(52) Cf above n. 58.
(53) Cf. 1 Cor. 13, 5.
(54) Mt. 19, 5.
(55) Humanae vitae, n. 9.
(56) Cf. The Human Person, n. 7.
(57) Cf. The Human Person, n. 9.
(58) Ibid.
(59) Ibid.
(60) Ibid.
(61) A Guide to Formation in Priestly Celibacy, n. 63.
(62) The Human Person, n. 8.
(63) Ibid.
(64) Cf. Rom. 1, 26-28; cf., per analogia, The Human Person, n. 9.
(65) Cf. Gal. 5, 22-24.