The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) maintained its stance against a divorce law in the country following the recent approval by the House of Representatives on the proposed measure.
According to CBCP’s news arm, the episcopal conference affirmed that divorce is “anti-family, anti-marriage and anti-children.”
“It’s a betrayal of their constitutional mandate to uphold marriage and the family,” said CBCP spokesperson Fr. Jerome Secillano.
“The fact remains that divorce is not the ultimate solution to problematic unions,” he added.
The CBCP also said there are already existing remedies for broken marriages.
“We already have existing legal remedies to couple separation, and yet Congress decided to add more,” the priest said.
A total of 131 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill No. 9349, while 109 voted against it and 20 abstained.
If signed into law, the “Absolute Divorce Act” would allow dysfunctional couples to file a petition through several grounds such as legal separation, annulment of marriage, psychological incapacity, among others.
The bill also provides that physical violence or grossly abusive conduct against the petitioner and homosexuality are also considered grounds for filing of divorce.
It also recognizes the dissolution of marriage by the proper matrimonial tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church or any other recognized religious sectors.
Several lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill at the lower chamber asserted that divorce would provide an escape for abused married women and opportunity for couples to rebuild their lives after dysfunctional marriages.
A similar version of the bill at the Senate has yet to be approved on second reading.
For his part, Tagbiliran Bishop Alberto Uy called on the Catholic faithful in praying for the senators “that they may be guided to make the right decision and not pass the Divorce Bill in the upper house.”
The Philippines and Vatican City remain as the only states in the world without a divorce law.
There are more than 85 million Roman Catholics in the Philippines, making it the largest Christian denomination in the country.—RF, GMA Integrated News
