MANILA (RVA News): The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines [CBCP] reiterated its stand against the Absolute Divorce Bill, reminding everyone to take some time to discern such a complex matter.
In a two-page pastoral statement issued on July 11, CBCP quoted a common Tagalog expression to emphasise their call: “Maghunos-dili muna tayo at mag isip-isip” [Let us keep our cool and think it through].
Titled, A nation founded on family, a family founded on marriage, the statement was released three days after the CBCP gathered for its 128th plenary assembly in Cagayan de Oro City.
With the Philippines being the sole country in the world, aside from the Vatican City, that still does not have divorce, the Philippine bishops stressed that there is no hurry to join the bandwagon.
“Do we really want it for ourselves? Do we really want to make it easy for civilly-married couples to have their marriages civilly dissolved when they ‘want out’ already, or when they don’t ‘feel like it’ anymore?” the bishops asked.
“Shouldn’t we ask ourselves on the basis of research and statistics, if the legalisation of divorce all over the world has indeed helped in protecting the common good and the welfare of the family?” they said.
Do we really want it for ourselves? Do we really want to make it easy for civilly-married couples to have their marriages civilly dissolved when they ‘want out’ already, or when they don’t ‘feel like it’ anymore?
CBCP
The bishops also stressed that Church teaching about divorce does not change even in countries where it is legalised.
“Catholics still cannot simply get remarried in Church unless they file for a declaration of nullity of their previous bond of marriage—which is not the same as divorce,” they explained.
The CBCP took note of data from the National Centre for Health Statistics which showed that the “failure rate for [the] first marriage is roughly 48 per cent, 60 per cent for [the] second and 70 per cent for third marriages” in countries where civil divorce is legal.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
“Are we sure we want our families to become part of these grim statistics?” they wondered.
Therefore, the bishops’ conference suggested increased focus on listening to stories of couples who have strengthened their bond after going through crises instead of pushing for the legalisation of divorce.
The CBCP clarified that it cannot impose legal changes to civil marriage as the bishops only act as spiritual and moral leaders of the Church to motivate the faithful to participate in reasoned public discourse as citizens.
They called for combined efforts by the Church and state to explore more effective ways of maximising remedies to marital problems.
“We can only hope and pray that [legislative bodies] consider the gravity of the task entrusted to them and the need to engage the citizens in serious conversations about the implications of the laws they make,” said the statement.
Last May, the Philippine Congress moved the Absolute Divorce Bill a step closer to becoming law with its passing the third and final reading in the House of Representatives [Sunday Examiner, May 26]. For it to be finalised, the country’s Senate must also pass its counterpart bill.
Various Catholic movements have voiced opposition to the proposed measure.
One of the most recent undertakings is the creation of the Super Coalition Against Divorce in the Diocese of Novaliches, composed of around 40 lay organisations.
