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Catholic Religious Education in Cape Verde to Provide “integral human formation”: Priest

Fr. Paulo Borges Vaz. Credit: Courtesy Photo

The re-introduction of Moral and Catholic Religious Education (EMRC) in schools in the Island nation of Cape Verde is expected to contribute toward the “integral formation” of learners, a Catholic Priest has said.

In 2019, the government of Cape Verde announced the re-introduction of moral and religious education in secondary education in an experimental phase in 13 institutions in the country, VOA News reported. The subject had been removed from the school curriculum soon after Cape Verde gained its independence in 1975.

“The re-introduction of the discipline of Catholic moral religious education in schools over the past two years, was made possible thanks to a legal agreement between the Holy See and the Cape Verdean government,” the Coordinator of the Commission for EMRC in Cape Verde’s Mindelo Diocese, Fr. Paulo Borges Vaz, has been quoted as saying in an interview with Vatican News reported February 28.

With the introduction of EMRC, Fr. Vaz says, “The Catholic Church wants to contribute to the integral formation of the human person and help the Cape Verdean nation itself to train citizens with an integral formation.”

“Parents know that moral and Catholic religious education classes help their children with integral human formation” Fr. Vaz says in the Vatican news report, and adds, “These educational classes contribute to one’s behavior, to one’s integral development.”

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In the Vatican News interview with Fr. Vaz reported February 28, he says, “Students are not obliged to attend the moral and Catholic religious education classes.” 

“Attendance at these classes only happens with the permission of the parents and or guardians,” the Parish Priest of St. Vincent Parish further says.

According to Fr. Vaz, “The implementation of the subject has been welcomed by both Catholic and non-Catholic parents, in both Cape Verdean Dioceses of Santiago and Mindelo.”

The EMRC Coordinator in Mindelo Diocese notes that more than “500 learners attend the classes in the first, fifth and ninth grades.”

Since Cape Verde is a secular State, he says, “This experimental and optional phase of the Catholic moral religious education subject is not exempt from criticism and is far from being consensual.”

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The Catholic Priest goes on to highlight challenges in the process of implementing EMRC in the Island nation of Cape Verde saying, “We experienced great difficulties due to a reduced number of teachers which led to work overload.”

“We hope the number of teachers will increase soon; we are expecting at least six additional teachers for next year,” Fr. Vaz has been quoted as saying. 

“We look forward to seeing more learners joining the Catholic moral religious education classes here in São Vicente Island,” Fr. Vaz goes on to say, and adds, “We hope that more parents will discover the value of such classes, and that little by little, this subject will gain ground.”

Sheila Pires is a veteran radio and television Mozambican journalist based in South Africa. She studied communications at the University of South Africa. She is passionate about writing on the works of the Church through Catholic journalism.