Archbishop backs controversial sex education

Archbishop George has expressed a positive stance on sex education in schools. In a meeting held last week, Minister of Education Athena Michaelidou, Inspector of Secondary Education Home Economics Christiana Filippou Haridimou, and a representative of Secondary Education briefed His Beatitude on the content and details of the course.

According to information from a Ministry source, the Archbishop conveyed his satisfaction with the subject matter of sex education and acknowledged its importance in equipping children with knowledge on how to protect themselves from potential exploitation.

Furthermore, as reported in Phileleftheros, the Archbishop emphasized the need to resist extreme viewpoints, whether originating from various circles in Greece or adopted within Cyprus and advocated against keeping children in ignorance, which could make them vulnerable to predators. He noted that both the Minister of Education and the relevant inspector have provided assurances of close monitoring of the matter, instilling confidence in their commitment to doing so. The report indicates that this issue will be addressed in the upcoming meeting of the Holy Synod, which is expected to take a position on the matter.

However, it's worth noting that the topic has generated strong reactions within ecclesiastical circles, with the Holy Metropolis of Paphos and the Monastery of Troodhitissi opposing sex education, arguing that it introduces inappropriate content to children at their age.