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56 3 The Status of Children within the Roman Catholic Church JENNIFER BESTE In Roman Catholicism, we find a view of children that simultaneously celebrates them as gifts from God, made in the image of God, endowed early in life with rationality, capable of initiative and deliberation, carriers of obligations to parents and society, and themselves sources of grace. But they are also human creatures in need of the sacraments, grace, and strong parental and institutional guidance. These views are sometimes in conflict, especially as the Catholic Church confronts the challenges of American secularism, mass media, and excessive individualism. In this chapter, I begin with Roman Catholicism’s view of the child within the context of the family and society and its account of adults’ obligations to children.1 Next, I examine how the Catholic clergy evaluates and responds to U.S. cultural influences that threaten children’s well-being and their spiritual and moral development. Last, I highlight certain tensions between Catholicism’s official teachings about children and its actual practices. Such tensions present challenges that Catholics need to address if the Catholic Church wishes to realize its religious ideals more effectively and serve as the best possible advocate for children in American culture. The Catholic Church’s View of Children within the Family and Society How does the Catholic Church perceive children’s ontological and moral status ? According to canon law, children are from birth accorded equal dignity T HE ROM A N C AT HOLIC CHURCH 57 with the rest of Christians by virtue of rebirth through baptism.2 At the heart of the Catholic tradition lies the conviction that God offers Christ to each person and invites all to a life of eternal communion with the divine. With the aid of God’s grace, individuals have the freedom to respond to God’s selfo ffer and actualize a “yes” to God throughout their lifetimes by loving God and neighbor. Like adults, children are believed to be affected deeply by the structures of sin present in the world. Both God’s grace and the capacity to reason, however, offer hope that children, given adequate formation by their family and church, can grow in their capacity to recognize and strive after what truly fulfills them. Attaining the capacity to reason around the age of seven has thus been theologically significant throughout the Catholic tradition : children at this time are traditionally viewed as personally responsible for living out a “yes” to God’s self-offer. Canon law affirms that children share responsibility for “the building up of the body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function.”3 To find further Catholic teachings on the nature of children and their rights and responsibilities, it is necessary to consult Catholic writings concerning the meaning of marriage and the family. The birth of a child within Catholicism signifies God’s continual gift and presence within the world. When giving birth to a child, married couples are viewed as co-creators with God as they bring into being new life through love. It is important to underscore how the belief that each child is made in the image of God and created for a life of communion with God functions to qualify parents’ rights and desires. Current Vatican doctrine emphasizes that the right to life for each unborn child trumps any possible reason for a woman to abort her pregnancy . Catholic teaching also warns parents against projecting their desires onto their children during their upbringing: parents should foster their children’s ability to pursue their God-given interests and gifts and respect children’s decisions regarding career, marriage, and so on. According to Catholic teaching, parents are responsible mainly for the physical, psychological, and spiritual nurturing of their children. Through word and example, they are the primary teachers and evangelizers of faith for their children. The church teaches that consistent love and nurturing by parents during the child-rearing years make it possible for a child to experience security and trust, which in turn provides the foundation for trust and faith in God. Because of the importance of consistent nurturing, the church claims that a child has the right to two parents, which it views as the best chance for a stable family environment. In several documents, the church also emphasizes that children need or even have a right to be cared for by their mother...

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