MANILA — The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Wednesday said for Filipinos, every child is a gift from God.
“It is natural for married Filipino couples to wholeheartedly embrace each child, who is a fruit of their love for each other. Despite the fear and criticism that arise from having big families, we still rejoice at the coming of a child,” said CBCP in its pastoral exhortation on the 50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae signed by president Archbishop Romulo Valles.
“Every family plans for their future: when they are ready to have children or when to add more, how they will be raised, where they will be sent to school, how to teach them to pray, where they could go for vacations, how will they manage their finances, etc.,” read the statement issued on Wednesday.
The CBCP issued the statement amid the emergence of the so-called “contraceptive mentality” in society.
“If family planning is simply reduced to the avoidance of pregnancy, should we be puzzled when some children feel that they are fruits of ‘unwanted pregnancies’? Won’t they feel that their parents love them simply because they have no choice?” it said.
“This is the effect of what we call the ‘contraceptive mentality’,” the CBCP added.
Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical on parents’ decision regarding the number of their children on July 25, 1968. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
