The Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) split from Catholic Schools NSW, the statewide body, over its opposition to Mark Latham's anti-trans education bill.

Although later superseded by a subsequent submission, in its submission into an inquiry into the bill to parliament, the CEDP described Latham's proposal as "counter to promoting and respecting the human dignity of all."

It is "an unacceptable incursion into the professional judgement of Catholic schools and school systems," the CEDP wrote.

Reacting to CEDPs views in the submission, some priests and parents in the diocese accused Parramatta's bishop, Vincent Long Van Nguyen, of "heresy."

They called on him and CEDP boss Greg Whitby to resign.

Long then overruled Whitby in a new submission which he said "superseded" the CEDPs contribution.

The Parramatta diocese "affirms the prohibition of teaching gender ideology (gender fluidity) in an educational setting". He added that he had "serious concerns, echoing Pope Francis, about this ideology," Long wrote.

He then cited the Catholic position on gender theory set out by the Vatican in Male and Female He Created Them.

"The young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created," Long quoted from the paper

Without explicitly supporting or opposing the bill, Long said it must not "prohibit a school from supporting children who are already at risk of marginalisation because of gender identity issues."

The diocese "strongly affirms the Catholic teaching that parents are the primary educators of their children in matters of faith and education," he said.

The about-face followed Long's letter to parishioners and parents on April 27 in which he assured them the earlier decision to oppose the bill was guided by Catholic teaching.

"I emphatically reject the notion of gender ideology," he wrote.

"What I advocate for is a compassionate, respectful, inclusive, Gospel-centred learning environment and a deep commitment to the wellbeing of all students, particularly those at risk.

"Their lives must not be made more intolerable by unjust laws such as elements of the ‘Latham' Bill that I have articulated above."

The Parramatta Catholic diocese includes 80 schools, 43,000 students and 5000 staff. Priests leading the backlash included one - Father John Rizzo, who urged Long to resign.

"Your stance regarding homosexuality is at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church," Rizzo wrote.

"Your zealous approach to ‘inclusivity' towards the LGBTQI community is very confusing to Catholics wanting to be faithful to the church."

Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney, supported the backlash against discussion of gender diversity in schools and welcomed Long's new submission.

"[We] look forward to engaging with Mr Latham's inquiry further on this matter now that we have the benefit of a more aligned position," he said.

Source

• Brisbane Times
• Image: Catholic Outlook

The proposal seeks to ban any discussion of gender diversity in the state's classrooms.

The state's main Catholic education body supports One Nation leader Mark Latham's the bill.

The large Parramatta diocese, however, is lodging a strong objection.

Latham's bill proposes to prohibit the promotion of gender fluidity in schools, including the classroom and teachers' professional development courses.

He says this is about "re-establishing the primacy of parents in shaping their children's development and sense of identity".

The Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta put forward a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the anti-trans education bill.

The Diocese described the proposal as "counter to promoting and respecting the human dignity of all".

It is "an unacceptable incursion into the professional judgement of Catholic schools and school systems," the submission continued.

If passed, the bill would probably cause discrimination and harassment to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) students," the submission said.

It warned "prohibitions on what can be discussed within the learning process can stigmatise these matters and people whose life experiences are connected to them".

LGBTQI rights group Equality Australia says there is "nothing in this bill which merits further consideration by NSW Parliament,".

They say it denies the existence of trans and gender diverse people, allows parents to withhold important lessons about the world from their children and makes teachers fear dismissal if they acknowledge that trans people exist.

In contrast, Catholic Schools NSW, representing the state's 600 Catholic schools, 30,000 staff and 257,000 students, said parental primacy was paramount.

It supports the anti-trans education bill, with the caveat it must not prevent schools providing pastoral care to LGBTQI students.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, also supported the bill.

But the Parramatta diocese - which controls 80 schools with 43,000 students in western Sydney and the Blue Mountains - submitted that if parental "rights" clashed with the best interests of children, the latter must prevail.

"The bill not only fails in this regard but conspicuously and deliberately ignores these rights and actively detracts from them," it said.

Greg Whitby, the head of Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, said his schools had a duty of care to their students, informed by a Catholic world view and with parents "deeply involved".

"It's not for a school or a central office or dare I say even politicians to make those decisions," he said.

"If you seek to codify those things, you are putting a personal perspective on what's right and what's wrong."

Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney doesn't think the bill denies the existence of trans and gender diverse people.

"[It] is more focused on learning and curriculum and less on the culture wars or individuals. It is around what belongs in scholarship and school instruction and what doesn't.

"Our support for the bill is contingent upon our schools being able to extend all support - pastoral, physical, counselling - [to] these kids in our schools."

Source

• Brisbane Times
• Image: Star Observer