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Professor Enrique Colom
Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Rome)

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We parents have an essential right and duty to educate our children, which is original and primary, irreplaceable and inalienable.

"The task of giving education is rooted in the primary vocation of married couples to participate in God's creative activity: by begetting in love and for love a new person who has within himself or herself the vocation to growth and development, parents by that very fact take on the task of helping that person effectively to live a fully human life. (…) The right and duty of parents to give education is essential, since it is connected with the transmission of human life; it is original and primary with regard to the educational role of others, on account of the uniqueness of the loving relationship between parents and children; and it is irreplaceable and inalienable, and therefore incapable of being entirely delegated to others or usurped by others."

(John Paul II, Exort. Ap. Familiaris consortio, no. 36.)
 
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The State has to pursue the common good of society, and so the State also has rights and duties concerning the education of its citizens. However, this does not authorize the State to "usurp" or limit the parents' duty. As is the case with all human rights, it is not enough simply to acknowledge that parents have this right: it is also necessary to take the necessary steps to ensure that this is put into practice (for example, by providing financial aid). This is particularly important in the area of education, because education is so decisive for people's development. If freedom in this area is restricted, this will have unfortunate consequences for people and for the common good. A truly democratic society therefore ought not to challenge parents' rights, but instead ought to cooperate with parents' freedom to educate as they consider appropriate.

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