The recently released LGBTQ guidelines which have been released by the government are being rejected by Bishop Terrio, who helps oversee 18 churches situated in the northeastern part of Alberta. Terrio rejects these guidelines in a letter that he wrote and sent to the Diocese of St. Paul, saying that these guidelines “rest upon a premise that directly collides with and contradicts the biblical understanding of human nature.” In an interview with Today the bishop explained that “Masculinity and femininity are gifts from god. They are callings, they are vocations. If you have a document promoting a ‘I decide who I am and what I am, when I want to be’ vision, this runs up against and collides with a basic principle of catholic identity and education.”

According to Bishop Terrio all schools need to be “respectful and supportive,” but self identification is something that he rejects. The bishop also stated that some of the 12 best practices which help make up th3 LGBTQ guidelines are “not going to fly” n the diocese that he leads. Terrio explained that “We are in a legal situation, and I feel we have to make the best of it,. What is good and what we can comply with, we will. We will try to avoid what’s problematic.” All schools in the Alberta province are expected to submit to the Minister of Education a written LGBTQ-specific inclusion policy, and this must be submitted by March 31 of this year. Bishop Terrio responded by saying “Gosh, we are being respectful and supportive of people in these situations, and we must be and want to be. But if they really want to have a school system which is fully reflective of these guidelines well then why not go to the public school? You know, (to) the parents, if that’s what you are looking for well than that’s where you will find it.”