Pope Francis warns parents against ceding children’s education to ‘experts’
May 20, 2015
Continuing his catechesis on the family, Pope Francis devoted his May 20 general audience to parents’ natural vocation to educate their children.
Intellectual critics, said the Pope, “have silenced parents in many ways, to protect the young generation from the damage—real or imagined—of family education.”
“The family has stood accused, among other things, of authoritarianism, cronyism, of conformism, of affective repression that generates conflicts,” the Pope added. So-called experts took over the “role of parents even in the most intimate aspects of education … On the emotional life, personality and development, rights and duties, the ‘experts’ know everything: objectives, motivations, techniques.”
Parents, Pope Francis continued, “tend to entrust ever more to the ‘experts,’ even for the most delicate and personal aspects in their lives … And this is very serious!”
The Pontiff also urged separated parents not to speak ill of one another so that children are not held “hostage” to their conflict.
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Further information:
- General Audience: Parents' vocation to educate children (Vatican Radio)
- Papa: genitori non si "esilino" da educazione figli. Stralci della catechesis (Vatican Radio)
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