The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has released earlier today a guide on gender and identity to support Catholic schools in responding to the individual social and pastoral needs of students.
Created and Loved: A guide for Catholic schools on identity and gender outlines a pastoral approach shaped by the theological, medical and legislative context in which Catholic schools operate. The Catholic bishops consulted widely with specialists in education, including principals and teachers, sought advice from parents with children facing various gender questions, heard from bioethicists and other experts in the field, and from the international Catholic Church community.
The guide aims to 'reflect deeply on the biblical and Christian witness to human dignity' and offer 'principles that can be used by Catholic education authorities for their own local contexts'.
As indicated in our Media Release following the publication of the guide, the thoughtful, comprehensively researched and deeply caring response
in the guide reflects the commitment to best practice in responding to
these issues found across Christian schools. Valuing the worth and dignity of every person and looking at each
student holistically, rather than seeking to define a person by any
single characteristic allows genuine care for our students seeking to
address all their needs.
Christian schools, including Christian school boards, may find this a very useful document. A copy can be downloaded from the link below.
Download 'Created and Loved'