Holland: relations between Church and State” “

“A central position accorded to respect for the human person” in politics and in future legislation: that’s what the Dutch bishops ask of the government spokespersons Donner and Leijns in a letter released in recent days. “It’s true – write the bishops – that Church and State are separate, but they have much to say to each other”. Many issues are touched on by the Dutch bishops in their letter, especially the recent softening of Dutch legislation on questions of euthanasia, abortion and experiments on embryos. Another point emphasized is the family, fundamental element and “cornerstone of society”. The bishops point out the lack of political recognition of the protection and encouragement of family life, with the result that parents find themselves in difficulty in obtaining sufficient financial resources for the education of their children. Other concerns are those concerning children “in their process of maturation towards adult life”. Numerous “temptations may lead adolescents to forms of modern slavery”, say the bishops. They therefore think it essential to protect children “against the cheapening of sexuality, against violence and against the slavery of tobacco, alcohol and drugs”. Lastly, the bishops recall the importance of freedom in education and in religion, an essential condition for the spiritual development of the human person.