PENNSYLVANIA
The New York Times
By MARY PILON
SEPT. 30, 2014
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania has adopted a policy requiring boys on its school wrestling teams to forfeit matches against female opponents, school officials said Tuesday. The policy also barred girls from joining Catholic school tackle football and rugby teams.
The policy said that boys and girls competing together in sports that involve “substantial and potentially immodest physical contact” would conflict with the diocese’s religious mission.
Safety and modesty were at the root of the policy change, Joe Aponick, communications director for the diocese, said Tuesday. “For students, we think about the mind, body and spirit,” he said. “It’s a holistic approach. When we look at the athletic field, that doesn’t exist on its own. It’s an extension of the classroom. That’s where the modesty piece comes in.”
The policy prohibiting participation by both sexes in the three sports went into effect in July. It was first reported Tuesday by WITF, a radio station in Harrisburg.
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