Prelate insists divorce bill anti-family

Members of the clergy said the divorce bill, which passed the committee level at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, is against family. (Photo by Brian Evans/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

MANILA — Members of the clergy said the divorce bill, which passed the committee level at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, is against family.

With this, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes expressed disappointment over the lawmakers’ decision to pass the measure at the committee level.

“This is a very disappointing development. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in the world where divorce is forbidden. The Church should rally against this law by showing the disastrous effect of divorce that destroys the family, the basic unit of society and the domestic Church,” he said.

“Divorce is a direct affront to the law ordained by God and specifically reiterated by our Lord Jesus Christ!” the Catholic prelate added.

Bastes is hoping that legislators will see the sanctity of marriage and also the effects of divorce in nations where such law is implemented.

“The destruction of families by divorce is indeed a project of Satan, the enemy par excellence of God! Would that our lawmakers open their eyes and hearts to the beauty of upholding the dignity of marriage and to the horrendous situation which divorce has caused in all countries of the world,” he said.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Public Affairs Committee said Congress will betray its mandate if they pass the divorce bill.

“Divorce is anti-marriage and anti-family! By passing this measure, Congress betrays its mandate to protect our country’s legally and morally declared social and inviolable institutions!” he said in a post on his Facebook account.

The Catholic priest noted that they support the protection of rights of parties involved but such rights should coincide in protecting marital unions.

“The Church is all for the protection of rights especially of the aggrieved parties in marriage. But protection of rights should go hand in hand with upholding our cherished institutions like marriage,” he said.

“While divorce may indeed vindicate the rights of women, as Congressmen believed, it is unfortunately to the detriment of marriage and family as sacred institutions that should otherwise be protected by the State,” Secillano added.

A technical working group of the committee on population and family relations headed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman approved a substitute bill that consolidates several measures which seek to legalize divorce in the country.