The Christian faithful have the right to a Christian education. Church law 217 states: "Since they are called by baptism to lead a life in keeping with the teaching of the gospel, the Christian faithful have the right to a Christian education by which they are to be instructed properly to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation."
This is a broader concept of even the Catholic education legislated elsewhere in Church law. The nature and form of this education varies according to the needs of each person and their level of growth.
One of the aspects of this Church law is that by using the adjective "Christian" to describe the right to an education, canon 217 broadens its scope to include all of the baptized – whether or not they live in full communion with the Catholic Church.
One of the aspects of this right worth noting is the right of the faithful – with no discrimination whatsoever for reasons of sex, state of life, or any other condition – to study, including at the highest university level.
There is a also natural right to religious freedom in connection with the natural right to education and culture. The rights regarding government and secular teaching institutions does not interfere with the right as explained by this Church law.
Editor's note: This series about the rights and obligations of the Christian faithful, as set forth in canon (Church) law, has been written especially for the Catholic News Herald by Mercy Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally. Sister Jeanne-Margaret is a distinguished authority on canon law, author of the reference guide "Canon Law for the Laity," and frequent lecturer at universities and dioceses. A graduate of The Catholic University of America with multiple degrees including a doctorate in psychology and a licentiate of canon law (JCL), she is a psychologist for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Charlotte and a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami.