Catholic bishops in the US state of Pennsylvania have ordered boys on wrestling teams at faith schools to forfeit matches against females.
The new rules, implemented to preserve safety and modesty, according to a spokesman for the Diocese of Harrisburg, also ban girls from joining football and rugby teams.
Reuters saw the letter Bishop Ronald W Gainer sent to parents.
It said: "The diocese therefore believes that it is incompatible with its religious mission and with its efforts to teach Gospel values to condone competitions between young men and women in sports that involve substantial and potentially immodest physical contact."
The policy only applies to schools and will not affect university students.
It means that a male would have to forfeit a wrestling match with a girl or urge the opposite team to choose a boy instead.
It is thought that up to 30 girls are members of wrestling clubs in Pennsylvania.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
