Only two nations do not have legalized divorce: the Vatican City State and the Philippines. These nations realize that easy access to divorce plays a major role in the destruction of the modern family.
Divorce now threatens to come to the Philippines, Asia’s most Catholic nation. “Catholic” legislators in the Philippines Senate are considering the Absolute Divorce Act, which has already passed in the House. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has promised to sign it into law.
Previous attempts to pass divorce have been defeated by a solid grassroots action based on Church teaching. The only exception to the law was a 1977 government executive order allowing it to its Muslim population since Islam accepts divorce.
Now is the time for an energetic denunciation of this grave sin. One would think that the bold proclamation of Catholic teaching and a strong condemnation of this social evil and its supporters would be enough to turn the tide. The bishops also have the power of excommunication against “Catholic” legislators who cause scandal by voting for these sinful measures. The Catholic laity has held Rosary rallies and collected 157,000 signatures opposing the bill.
Given the lateness of the hour, an intensely focused action is required to defeat a determined secular left pushing hard to bring the “backward” Philippines to neo-pagan depths.
However, this needed action is not happening. It would seem that everything is being done to lose the struggle and allow divorce to enter.
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The main opposition is the nation’s Catholic Church and its leaders. However, the Catholic bishops are adopting a losing strategy that undermines the best arguments in their arsenal to stop divorce.
As religious leaders, the bishops should be concerned with God’s law, sin and morality. These are the strongest reasons to oppose divorce since all Catholics are concerned about their eternal salvation.
However, the bishops’ statements are much more sociological than theological. They do not mention sin or God’s law. They have adopted an approach that waters everything down.
Thus, the bishops do not seek to confront the world but get along with it. During the whole debate, they have not condemned outright the bill nor demanded its rejection. There is the illusion that being nice to opponents wins them over to one’s side.
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This non-confrontational tone dominates the debate. The bishops have turned the debate into an empirical discussion, not a moral crusade. “Should we join the bandwagon?” they ask. They point out the need to do research and see if legalizing divorce has helped the family worldwide.
Of course, the overwhelming evidence is that divorce destroys families. In the case of Henry VIII, divorce destroyed and divided England. There is no need to do research; the verdict is already clear. Throughout Her history, the Church has always opposed divorce as a proven moral and social evil. No amount of new discussion or scientific evidence is going to change the conclusion.
The bishops further undermine their authority by declaring, “As spiritual and moral leaders of the Church, we can only propose, but never impose.” Such declarations fail to consider that the bishops are more than just religious leaders. They are shepherds, called upon by God to defend their flocks. They have the authority to teach, govern and sanctify. This includes defining, not proposing, what the Church requires the faithful to believe and excluding from the flock the wolves in sheep’s clothing who would harm the Church. They will be judged by how they keep evil from imposing its agenda on those entrusted to their pastoral care.
The bishops further declare, “The Church is in no position to dictate on the State what is best for Filipino families.”
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Indeed, the bishops have a moral duty to affirm and denounce this iniquitous bill, which they have not done. That is their role and unique position as shepherds. Their responsibility before God is to safeguard what is best for Filipino families. Church history is full of saints (and martyrs) who have stood up to temporal authorities to defend Catholic moral law. To affirm the contrary represents a denial of their office.
Thus, the divorce bill threatens the Philippines, which has the glory of being the last large Catholic country to oppose divorce. If the bill passes, the blame will undoubtedly be on the “Catholic” legislators who knew they could expect no sanctions from the bishops. The blame will also be on the bishops who have “joined the bandwagon” of Church officials who have not confronted the moral evils of the day with all the power of their office.
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