{"id":4671,"date":"2013-11-04T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/catholic-principal-says-quebec-rule-prohibits-teaching-faith\/"},"modified":"2013-11-04T19:20:00","modified_gmt":"2013-11-04T19:20:00","slug":"catholic-principal-says-quebec-rule-prohibits-teaching-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/11\/catholic-principal-says-quebec-rule-prohibits-teaching-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic principal says Quebec rule prohibits teaching faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Quebec City, Canada, Nov 4, 2013 \/ 12:20 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The province of Quebec is moving towards a \u201cclosed secularism\u201d that will harm the ability to teach Catholicism in high schools, says a principal leading a legal challenge against regulations of religion classes.<\/p>\n

\tPaul Donovan, principal of Montreal\u2019s Loyola High School, said he has no problem promoting pluralism in a province-mandated religion and ethics class, but he objects to provincial rules that bar explanations for religious belief.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe just want to teach it from a Catholic point of view,\u201d he told Canada\u2019s National Post. \u201cQuebec wants us to keep any explanation out of why people believe what they believe. You are supposed to say this is what they believe and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe government requires that when you\u2019re dealing with other religions that the teacher in the classroom completely disassociates himself from any religious perspective or religious value. So we can never say, 'As Catholics, we see this\u2026'\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Quebec government wants the course to be taught without regard to any religion, even in Catholic schools, a requirement Loyola High School is challenging in court.<\/p>\n

\tA Quebec Superior Court sided with the school in 2010, while in 2012 an appeals court sided with the Quebecois government. The case goes to Canada\u2019s Supreme Court next year.<\/p>\n

\tDonovan said that under the present regulations, if a student asks questions about a Catholic perspective during the religion and ethics class, a Catholic school teacher is not allowed to answer.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe government wants statements about religious belief to be absolute. They\u2019re not to be argued. They cannot be seen as rational,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIn Catholicism \u2026 reason is the first step to faith. So we are not allowed to be who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe questioned whether a school course taught in this way could improve religious literacy, because \u201cnothing is really being explained.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe high school principal noted that the course has to be taught regardless of whether or not an institution receives state funds.<\/p>\n

\tDonovan said the case could reflect future action under Quebec\u2019s proposed Charter of Values, which would ban the wearing of religious symbols in public buildings and add other requirements to provincial law.<\/p>\n

\tHe said he favors an \u201copen secularism,\u201d in which the government has no preference for any religious or non-religious view. In this society, \u201call ideas and beliefs can develop and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHowever, in his view Quebec is moving toward a \u201cclosed\u201d secularism in which government actively tries to secularize society and religion moves \u201cout of the public square altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tDonovan told the National Post that this attitude promotes the view that those with a religious outlook \u201ccan\u2019t serve the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quebec City, Canada, Nov 4, 2013 \/ 12:20 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The province of Quebec is moving towards a “closed secularism” that will harm the ability to teach Catholicism in high schools, says a principal leading a legal challenge against…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-americas"],"yoast_head":"\nCatholic principal says Quebec rule prohibits teaching faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Quebec City, Canada, Nov 4, 2013 \/ 12:20 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The province of Quebec is moving towards a “closed secularism” that will harm the ability to teach Catholicism in high schools, says a principal leading a legal challenge against...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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