EWTN News reports that the Thomas More Society, a Catholic law firm, has released guidelines for school districts aimed at “upholding parental rights” in the wake of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, *Mahmoud v. Taylor* and *Mirabelli v. Bonta*. These guidelines advocate for parental notice and opt-out policies regarding instruction on LGBT topics and gender transition, and call for the repeal of policies that conceal information about children’s health from parents. While the protection of parental authority is a legitimate concern, the article’s framing reveals a profound theological impoverishment, reducing the Church’s mission to a secular legal battle over “rights” while remaining silent on the supernatural order, the primacy of Christ the King, and the ultimate purpose of education: the salvation of souls.
The Reduction of Education to Secular Legalism
The article presents the Thomas More Society’s guidelines as a victory for “parental rights,” a concept rooted in natural law but here divorced from its supernatural context. The firm urges school districts to “immediately and expressly adopt a parental notice and opt-out policy” and to repeal policies that “facilitate a child’s social gender transition” without parental consent. While these measures may be pragmatically necessary in a fallen world, the article’s exclusive focus on legal compliance and “costly litigation” exposes a capitulation to the secular order. The Church’s teaching on education is not merely about parental rights but about the subordination of all education to the supernatural end of man. As Pope Pius XI encyclically declared in *Divini Illius Magistri* (1929), “The proper and immediate end of Christian education is to cooperate with divine grace in forming the true and perfect Christian… to form Christ Himself in those regenerated by baptism.” The article’s silence on this supernatural purpose reduces Catholic education to a mere negotiation with secular power, a far cry from the Church’s historic mission to transform society under the Kingship of Christ.
The Omission of the Supernatural Order
The article’s most glaring omission is any reference to the supernatural order, the sacraments, or the ultimate purpose of education: the salvation of souls. The Thomas More Society’s guidelines, while addressing legitimate concerns about parental authority, fail to mention the necessity of grace, the role of the Church as the sole ark of salvation, or the duty of parents to educate their children in the Catholic faith. This silence is symptomatic of the post-conciliar Church’s retreat into naturalism and its abandonment of the supernatural. As Pope Leo XIII encyclically taught in *Immortale Dei* (1885), “The Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, each the highest in its kind, and each fixed within certain limits.” The article’s exclusive focus on secular legal mechanisms ignores the Church’s divine mandate to govern education in all matters pertaining to faith and morals. The guidelines’ call for “parental notice and opt-out” is a concession to the secular state’s authority over education, a direct contradiction of the Church’s teaching that “the education of the child belongs primarily and principally to the parents, and that the state has only a subsidiary role” (Pius XI, *Divini Illius Magistri*).
The Myth of “Parental Rights” in a Secular State
The article’s reliance on U.S. Supreme Court decisions to define the scope of parental rights is a tacit acceptance of the secular state’s authority over the family. The Church has consistently taught that parental rights are not granted by the state but by God, and that the state has no authority to interfere with the religious education of children. As Pope Pius XI encyclically declared, “The family holds directly from the Creator the mission and hence the right to educate the offspring, a right inalienable because inseparably joined to the strict obligation, a right anterior to any right whatever of civil society and of the State, and therefore inviolable on the part of any power on earth.” The article’s appeal to Supreme Court rulings is a betrayal of this teaching, as it implicitly acknowledges the state’s authority to define the limits of parental rights. This is a far cry from the Church’s historic stance, which rejected the very premise of state authority over education. As Pope Leo XIII encyclically taught in *Sapientiae Christianae* (1890), “The Church is not a mere human society… she is a society divinely constituted, and therefore her authority is not derived from the consent of the governed, but from God Himself.”
The Failure to Condemn the Root Cause: Secularism and Modernism
The article’s focus on “parental rights” as a solution to the crisis in education ignores the root cause of that crisis: the secularization of education and the abandonment of Catholic doctrine. The Thomas More Society’s guidelines, while addressing symptoms, fail to diagnose the disease. The crisis in education is not merely a legal problem but a spiritual one, caused by the rejection of Christ the King and the enthronement of secular humanism. As Pope Pius XI encyclically lamented in *Quas Primas* (1925), “The plague of our times is the so-called secularism, with its errors and wicked endeavors… it began with the denial of Christ the Lord’s reign over all nations.” The article’s silence on this root cause is a tacit acceptance of the secular order and a betrayal of the Church’s prophetic mission. The guidelines’ call for “parental notice and opt-out” is a band-aid on a mortal wound, a concession to the secular state’s authority over education that ignores the Church’s divine mandate to govern all things pertaining to faith and morals.
The Illusion of “Catholic Education” in a Secular Framework
The article’s mention of Christendom College’s free course on “how to restore Catholic education” and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary’s master’s program in healthcare ministry further exposes the illusion of “Catholic education” within a secular framework. While these initiatives may be well-intentioned, they operate within a system that has already capitulated to secularism. The course’s promise to “rebuild education in America for our children and generations to come” is a utopian fantasy, as it ignores the fundamental truth that true Catholic education can only exist within the framework of the Catholic Church and under the authority of the true Magisterium. As Pope Pius XI encyclically taught, “Christian education is not merely a human affair; it is a divine work, and therefore it requires divine means, namely, grace, which is obtained through the sacraments and prayer.” The article’s silence on the necessity of the sacraments, the role of the Church, and the authority of the true Magisterium is a betrayal of the very concept of Catholic education.
The Betrayal of the Church’s Social Kingship
The article’s exclusive focus on “parental rights” and legal compliance is a betrayal of the Church’s social kingship. The Church has consistently taught that Christ the King reigns over all nations and that all aspects of society, including education, must be subordinated to His authority. As Pope Pius XI encyclically declared in *Quas Primas*, “The Kingdom of Christ is not of this world, but it is in this world, and it must be recognized in this world, not only by individuals but also by states and nations.” The article’s silence on this teaching is a tacit acceptance of the secular state’s authority over education and a betrayal of the Church’s prophetic mission. The guidelines’ call for “parental notice and opt-out” is a concession to the secular order that ignores the Church’s divine mandate to govern all things pertaining to faith and morals.
Conclusion: A Call to Return to the True Doctrine
The article’s focus on “parental rights” and legal compliance is a symptom of the post-conciliar Church’s retreat into naturalism and its abandonment of the supernatural order. The Thomas More Society’s guidelines, while addressing legitimate concerns, fail to diagnose the root cause of the crisis in education: the rejection of Christ the King and the enthronement of secular humanism. The Church’s teaching on education is not merely about parental rights but about the subordination of all education to the supernatural end of man. As Pope Pius XI encyclically declared, “The proper and immediate end of Christian education is to cooperate with divine grace in forming the true and perfect Christian… to form Christ Himself in those regenerated by baptism.” The article’s silence on this teaching is a betrayal of the very concept of Catholic education. The only solution to the crisis in education is a return to the true doctrine of the Church, the recognition of Christ the King’s authority over all nations, and the subordination of all education to the supernatural end of man. As Pope Leo XIII encyclically taught in *Immortale Dei*, “The Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, each the highest in its kind, and each fixed within certain limits.” The article’s exclusive focus on secular legal mechanisms ignores this divine mandate and betrays the Church’s prophetic mission.
Source:
Catholic law firm offers guidelines to help school districts uphold parental rights (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 04.06.2026