Proposing human flourishing : pastoral sex education through virtue ethics

Abstract

The field of sexual ethics is very fertile ground. Academic literature is replete with discussions about how to approach sex education within a Catholic moral framework. In part, this can be traced back to Pope Benedict XVI’s efforts to reintegrate love into Christian discourse, as James F. Keenan maintains. This may also be due, however, to society which continues to beg the Church for closer guidance on these issues. We must ask, how are pastoral workers (lay or ordained) in the Church attending to this request? The aim of this paper is to survey the current praxis of sex education in Catholic settings, envisage desirable steps forward, and propose some means of getting there. The overall aim is to facilitate the shift from the question, “What must I do?” to “Who ought I become?” and hence, “How must I behave?” in the choppy waters of sexual ethics. [extract]