Macedonia’s Church Accused of ‘Interfering’ in Gender Equality, Sex Education Debate

The Church, in a secular state like North Macedonia, should stay out of women's rights and not interfere in laws that do not concern its own affairs, gender equality activists say.

It comes after the biggest religious community in the country, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, MPC, stepped up its criticism of government plans for a gender equality law and the introduction of comprehensive sexual education in schools.

"This kind of action attacks the constitutional order according to which North Macedonia is a secular state," the Platform for Gender Equality, an umbrella association of gender equality NGOs, said in a press release.

The friction is over a proposed more comprehensive draft Law on Gender Equality, pushed by the Social Democrat-led government, which is still in the phase of public debate.

Additionally, the Education Ministry, in 2019 launched a pilot project and in 2021, presented the new concept of primary education reforms, which envisages comprehensive sexuality education as an optional subject for pupils aged 13-14. This has yet to be implemented in all schools. The plan is to introduce optional sexual education classes to all elementary schools by 2025.

On Friday the Church organised a debate in the town of Strumica, "Why NO for sex education classes in schools", at which the local bishop, Jakov Stobiski, said he was concerned about the gender equality draft law, which he said "brings danger for society" and infringes on basic human rights.

The Church also sent a letter this week to the Social Policy Minister Jovanka Trencevska in which it accuses the government of being a "hostage to gender ideologists" and of disregarding the will and interests of the majority of the population.

The Church wrote...