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6.2. The Family, First Educator
67. The Declaration also recognizes the right to private
property not only as individuals but also in association with others.58
It recognizes the right to religious freedom, including the right of
believers to associate with others in worship and education.59
Lastly, the Declaration emphasizes the fact that parents have the right
to choose and guide their children's education.60
68. In this regard, it is good to recall that the family's
educational mission has its normal complement in the educational
institutions. Parents "share their educational mission with other
individuals or institutions, such as the Church and the State. But the mission
of education must always be carried out in accordance with a proper application
of the principle of subsidiarity".61 It should
not be forgotten that "all other participants in the process of education
are only able to carry out their responsibilities in the name of the
parents, with their consent and, to a certain degree, with their
authorization".62
69. Naturally, as many psycho-pedagogical studies indicate, a
child's early years are decisive in the subsequent formation of its
personality. Therefore, the fact that parents can entrust their children to
educational institutions of their choice is not only of interest to the
children but also to society.
70. Nonetheless, as the example of many countries indicates,
including countries that are considered "developed", an effective means
of destroying the family consists in depriving it of its educational function
under the false pretext of giving all children equal opportunities. In this
case, the "rights of children" are invoked against the rights of the
family. The State often invades areas proper to the family in the name of
democracy which ought to respect the principle of subsidiarity. We find
ourselves before an omnipresent and arbitrary political power. The State or
other institutions appropriate the right to speak on behalf of the children and
remove them from the context of the family. As so many unfortunate past and
present experiences reveal, the ideal for a dictatorship would be to have
children without families. All attempts to substitute the family have failed.
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