The religion teacher told us that sex with a condom is a greater sin than sex outside of marriage.

The religion teacher told us that sex with a condom is a greater sin than sex outside of marriage. The religious manuals analyzed by journalists from the publication Școala 9, available online, address topics such as contraception, abortion, divorce, and the LGBTQ+ community. For example, in the seventh-grade manual for the Roman-Catholic cult in Romanian, contraception is described as "immoral". From the beginning of 2026, students can choose whether they will be taught Religion or not, through a written request from their parents, at the beginning of each school year. Religion is a subject included in school programs in both primary and high school. There are 19 religious cults recognized by the Romanian state and 19 different school programs for religion, and the student enrolls in the religion to which they belong. The curriculum and religious manuals are developed by the Ministry of Health. In the case of the Orthodox religion, and the Romanian Patriarchate has a say in approving the program, and the manuals are noted by the institution before being approved, reports Școala 9. What students learn in religion The Școala 9 reporters analyzed what the curriculum plans for Orthodox religion look like for primary, junior high, and high school classes. In grades I-IV, teachers teach rules of moral behavior, the meaning of religious holidays, "Love, command given by God Jesus Christ", "Family and the fulfillment of the commandment of love". In junior high, students learn about "The first family: Adam and Eve", "Love, the theme of life", "the gift of life", and in high school, they are taught lessons about "The Christian family today", "The role of young people in defending life (combating violence, suicide, euthanasia and the degradation of human dignity)", "The danger of drugs", "Youth and mass media", "Young people and intimate life". 100 responses The article also contains anonymous testimonies from students with whom Școala 9 spoke and who talked about the organization of a religion class and the debate topics, following a call launched by journalists on the Reddit social network. They received approximately 100 responses. Daiana, aged 22, studied Religion at a Theological High School. Being a student who liked the heated debates in class, she asked two of her teachers what a girl should do if she is pregnant as a result of rape and does not want to see the face of the aggressor on the face of the child. "We cannot support abortion from a church perspective," she recounts, that they both answered, but the arguments were different from one teacher to the other. If one of the teachers said that the pregnancy should be carried to the end, regardless of circumstances, the other understood the woman's fear and accepted, in a way, abortion: "If the woman feels that she cannot look at the child without remembering the aggressor and cannot take care of him, what meaning is there in bringing a suffering soul to the world?" "The religion teacher told us that sex with a condom is a greater sin than sex outside of marriage. That was the moment when I gave up the religion class," another student confided to the journalists. The way the teacher teaches and discusses in class is important for the mental health of the students, explains psychotherapist Oana Doruș for Școala 9. "If stigma, unsolicited opinions, and opinions that are not tolerant, but rather accusatory, are added, the states can deepen - of powerlessness, misunderstanding, unacceptance, rejection," says Doruș. A teacher can only teach Religion if they receive the approval of the religious cult to which they belong, notes Gabriel Răducanu, a teacher who taught Religion for six years. The approvals are renewed annually for teachers who are employed for a determined period and can be withdrawn at any time, even during the school year. How abortion and the LGBTQ+ community are treated in religious manuals The manuals analyzed by the publication Școala 9, available online, address topics such as contraception, abortion, divorce, and the LGBTQ+ community. For example, in the seventh-grade manual for the Roman-Catholic cult in Romanian, contraception is described as "immoral", but the program does not include lessons about the role of contraception in preventing unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections. In the seventh grade, students learn about abortion, named in the manuals as "the interruption of the life of an unborn child" and they are told that "no situation and no reason justify committing this sin". The topic of abortion is also taught in Orthodox religion, in the eleventh grades, and is defined as "killing of an embryo". No manual contains information about the consequences of rape, severe fetal malformations, or what the law of Romania says about abortion. In the chapter about the LGBTQ+ community, students learn that queer people are "unnatural manifestations of sexuality", who must be helped by society to "live in purification", and that marriage is "monogamous, heterosexual, and blessed". What the Romanian Patriarchate says In a response sent to the Școala 9 reporters, the press office of the Romanian Patriarchate affirms that "the content elements are not only centered on the acquisition of knowledge, but also on the acquisition of skills and behaviors, attitudes, and values": "Like most of the study disciplines in the curriculum of Man and society (to which Religion is a part), the content elements are not only centered on the acquisition of knowledge, but also on the acquisition of skills and behaviors, attitudes, and values. Furthermore, this comprehensive approach is in line with international policy documents, which emphasize the importance of values in education (e.g., The OECD Learning Compass 2030)."