THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday thumbed down anew renewed efforts at the House of Representatives to legalize divorce for couples in problematic marriages in the Philippines.
In a brief message, CBCP – Committee on Public Affairs Executive Secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano said the Church will never change its stand against divorce regardless of the version filed in Congress.
Instead of repeatedly pushing for divorce, Secillano said it would be better if lawmakers amend the law allowing the annulment of marriages.
“We are pushing for the passage of the recognition of the civil effects of the nullity of Church marriage. We believe it’s a better option than invalidating a valid marriage through divorce,” the CBCP official said.
To note, couples who are divorced are still recognized as having been married before separating.
On the other hand, an annulment is treated as if the marriage never existed, deemed illegal, or considered illegitimate.
Last week, the House Committee on Population and Family Relations approved in principle several bills seeking to legalize absolute divorce in the Philippines, which is one of two sovereign states in the world that still prohibit divorce. The other is the Vatican.
Secillano said: “Nothing new to what Congress achieved with the divorce bill. We are not anymore surprised. The Church continues to oppose divorce.”
The priest said religious leaders have equal rights to express their position on the matter since they too are Filipino citizens.
“We have our right to make our belief known regarding marriage as a lifetime commitment broken only by the death of the spouse/s,” said Secillano.
