Wake County school teacher Patricia Corbino has resigned from her teaching job following her suspension for asking her students not to wear Rosary beads as necklaces in her class. She was accused of violating the right to free expression. Those who aren’t Catholic may not realize that wearing the Rosary as a piece of jewelry is against Church teaching. Corbino, a Catholic, knew that. To my knowledge, she didn’t force anyone to follow the rule, or punish anyone for not following the rule. She simply asked.
According to the News & Observer, the complaining parent is a Protestant. I don’t fault a Protestant for not understanding Catholic teaching, but based on what I know of this story, there is a misunderstanding of Corbino’s intent. In my view, Corbino was actually defending religious belief when she asked the class to abide by her classroom rule. Regardless, Corbino was suspended and has now left her teaching job. I wish her the best, and I truly appreciate that she practiced her religious belief. We talk a lot about the need to be tolerant and respect diversity. So where was the respect and tolerance for Patricia Corbino?
