Family & Education
“Families and homes go together. This makes us see how important it is to insist on the rights of the family and not only those of individuals. The family is a good which society cannot do without, and it ought to be protected. ‘The Church has always held it part of her mission to promote marriage and the family and to defend them against those who attack them,’ especially today, when they are given scarce attention in political agendas.”
— Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia: On Love in the Family, no. 44
Promoting the Formation of the Whole Person
The Church’s vision for education is fundamentally intertwined with the role of parents—the first and most important educators. Parents have a right to choose education according to the needs of their children, whether a school is public, private, or religious. The Indiana Catholic Conference upholds this right and advocates at the state and national level to preserve the option of non-public schools for families who may not otherwise have the means to send their children to these schools.
Quality education is a right the Church upholds, especially for those who are poor or those with disabilities, and so the Indiana Catholic Conference supports efforts to provide adequate funding for education in the form of:
Scholarships
Tax Credits
Other methods of funding which promote and preserve human dignity
The Indiana Catholic Conference also supports efforts which ensures teachers are and school administrators are paid a just wage, and that students have access to quality teachers and professional assistance according to their unique needs.
For more information on non-public education advocacy in Indiana, visit the INPEA website.
The Basic Cell of Human Society
The family founded upon marriage as the building block of society is a key element to the Church’s social teaching. The Indiana Catholic Conference serves the common good by promoting the importance of this vocation, particularly emphasizing the sacrificial and life-giving elements of marriage. The Church believes that a child has a right to a mother and father. As Pope Francis has taught, “Children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity” (FCFC no. 71).
By stating this teaching, the Church seeks to promote holy, sacrificial, and lifelong marriages, provides resources for helping families stay together, and advocates for policies that justly support the family. Some specific areas of advocacy include:
Encouraging lifelong, sacrificial marriages between a man and a woman.
Advocating for adequate economic support for poor families to reduce the stresses of poverty and improve familial stability.
Promote policies which advance a just wage for workers to support their families.
For more in-depth information on each of the issues mentioned above click a link below or contact us.