In 2017, the island of Puerto Rico was devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria. For months, Puerto Ricans lived without electricity as they struggled to survive day to day and to rebuild. Then, in late 2019, a string of strong earthquakes destroyed or damaged dozens of schools in the island’s southern region. And, like most everyone else, since early 2020, islanders have been trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, schools have been having in-person classes once again, but students will have to get used to another change, if the government has its way: new curriculum teaching “gender ideology.”
Not everyone is happy with it, and the Puerto Rican Bishops' Conference has called for a march on Saturday, August 14, against the introduction of the curriculum.
In an official statement, the President of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop Rubén González of Ponce, stressed that "part of our society is concerned about the way in which various initiatives to implement a so-called curriculum from a gender perspective are implemented in public schools," according to Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
Christians "have their rights and ability to claim from the lawful authorities of the State when it comes to living and acting according to their beliefs and conscience," the bishops said. Lay Catholics have a “legitimate right to demand that their sons and daughters in public schools are not to be exposed to ideologies that directly attack their beliefs.”
