MANILA — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Public Affairs Committee (CBCP-PAC) on Tuesday reiterated its stand against the divorce bill being pushed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman.
“Cong. Lagman is twisting the truth on divorce. The Catholic Church strongly opposes the measure,” CBCP-PAC executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP-PAC said on his Facebook account.
He also explained the difference between Canonical nullity and the dissolution of marriage.
“Canonical nullity is different from dissolution of marriage (divorce). The former is a declaration that marriage is null and void from the very start while the latter invalidates what is otherwise a valid marriage,” the Catholic priest added.
Secillano said that instead of creating laws that will strengthen marriage, lawmakers are destroying its beauty and sanctity by introducing measures that may break couples.
“Some Congressmen, however, understand it differently. Instead of formulating laws that will strengthen it, uphold its beauty and sanctity, they’ve bastardized and destroyed it by introducing measures, such as divorce, that hasten the disintegration of couples,” he said.
“Marriage enjoys the ‘favor of the law’. No less than the 1987 Constitution and the Family Code treat it as an inviolable social institution that should be protected by the State,” the CBCP-PAC official added.
Lagman has expressed confidence that the measures introducing divorce in the country will be passed into law before the 17th Congress ends in 2019.
The Albay representative heads the technical working group consolidating and discussing the measures filed to introduce divorce.
Aside from the Vatican, the Philippines is the only country in the world which does not allow divorce. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
