Pope Benedict XVI has said, sexual and civic education in schools in Europe is an attack on religious freedom. In a traditional annual address to foreign diplomats to the Vatican, the Pope said, he cannot remain silent about another attack on the religious freedom of families in certain European countries which mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education. He told the ambassadors that such courses convey a neutral concept of the person and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and to right reason. The Pope said this was an example of the threats against the cultural roots which nourish the profound identity and social cohesion of many nations.