The bishops have rejected claims that Catholic schools do not teach about facts in Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) classes.
In their latest quarterly statement, the hierarchy responded to criticisms of the way RSE is taught in their schools.
Health Minister, Simon Harris, said in a recent Tweet that RSE “must always be based on facts, not on ethos”. A review of RSE ordered by the Department of Education is currently underway.
The bishops in their statement said that “Catholic schools encourage excellence in relationship and sexuality education, and in all learning”.
They said: “In Catholic schools young people learn about values, about respect, about consent, about self-esteem, and about a whole range of other important issues in relation to relationships and sexual health in age appropriate ways, and in cooperation with parents.
“Contrary to some recent negative commentary, in Catholic schools young people do learn facts as part of their relationships and sexuality education.”
