The Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is alarmed, and they should be. Numbers don’t lie and these figures ought to tell us that our culture is headed in the wrong direction.
But what is the Church doing about this? Filipinos should live up to its name as the only Christian nation in Asia. Churches should help couples prepare for long-lasting marriages and not just plan for elaborate weddings. The church needs to boldly proclaim the biblical teaching on marriage and offer practical help to engaged couples and to couples in crisis. Filipinos too should be willing to love their neighbors and offer help to those whose relationships are strained.
Failure to properly respond to this problem is bad news because the answer many (and other countries) consider a realistic solution to the problem is divorce. The Philippines is one of three places in the world that doesn’t have a divorce law- Malta and the Vatican are the other two.
Should the Philippines have divorce is another serious topic for debate.
As a divorced and remarried Filipino immigrant living in the US, this is an important issue in my life, both personally and professionally. Divorce is like death, but I am happy and content with my current life. One thing to remember is that God and our faith in Him will carry us through difficult times, including divorce. I actually examined this issue in the book I just published, "The Velvet Thorn," where a priest and a faithful woman must make serious sacrifices for their love.
ReplyDeleteOO kaya nababahala na naman ang pulpito dito sa Pinas. Hay naku, akala mo kung sino ang mga yan ka banal e.
ReplyDeleteI want have a Divorce in Philippines .Mas okey na yung ganyan kay sa mag tiis ka sa asawa mo,Hindi ka naman nya Mahal diba?Christian Girls
ReplyDeleteI think, one of the main reasons of failed marriages in the Philippines, is people get married at a very early age (18-23) or some of the marriages in the Philippines are influenced by parent’s decision especially when Filipino girls get pregnant.
ReplyDeleteA new bill is actually pending in congress that aims to introduce legal divorce has put the issue in the national spotlight. For over three decades, Philippine legislators have debated and ultimately failed to introduce divorce laws. The debate has been repeatedly quashed due to strong opposition from the influential Catholic Church and a lack of strong advocates in the male-dominated congress.