CBCP says it’s still against divorce in PH but ‘won’t impose’ stance

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) acknowledges that it is impossible to enforce its anti-divorce position, but it opposes the country's adoption of the international practice of formally ending marriages.

“We are indeed the last country in the world that has not yet legalized civil divorce. Should we therefore join the bandwagon? Of course, we can, if we want to. Despite what religionists might think, we do have religious freedom in this country, and we uphold the principle of separation of Church and State,” it said.

“The Church is in no position to dictate [to] the State what is best for Filipino families. We know that our stubborn assertion that a genuine marriage cannot be dissolved, is not necessarily shared by all religions; and we respect that. But before we join the bandwagon, shouldn’t we ask ourselves on the basis of research and statistics, if the legalization of divorce all over the world has indeed helped in protecting the common good and the welfare of the family?” the CPCP asked.


The Philippines' Catholic Church (CBCP) has expressed doubts about the government's desire to facilitate divorces for married couples. The organization asked Filipinos to consider the difficulties their parents endured and the difficulties they may have encountered if divorce had been an option. Couples for Christ (CFC) called on the government to put more effort into enforcing the Philippine Family Code and bolstering families in order to make Filipinos more law-abiding and emotionally healthy citizens, as opposed to undermining marriages.