A huge banner against divorce hangs at the fence of Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file

MANILA - While admitting that it is in no position to dictate on the policies of the state, Filipino bishops remain adamant in their stance against divorce, even citing a papal document, which called it "evil."

This amid renewed debates about the legalization of divorce in the Philippines after the proposed law hurdled the House of Representatives.

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In a pastoral letter released on Thursday, Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), maintained that the Catholic Church never wavered in upholding its teaching against divorce.

"The Church is in no position to dictate on the State what is best for Filipino families," David said.

"We know that our stubborn assertion that a genuine marriage cannot be dissolved, is not necessarily shared by all religions; and we respect that."

The CBCP's pastoral letter cited Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation "Amoris Laetitia" (The Joy of Love), which stated that "divorce is evil and the increasing number of divorces is very troubling."

However, David insisted that the bishops respect the country's legislative body in its task to create laws and that all the clergy can do is hope and pray that the legislators will consider the gravity of their responsibility and its implications.

"As spiritual and moral leaders of the Church, we can only propose but never impose. We can only motivate our faithful to actively participate in reasoned public discourse as citizens," the bishop said.

The Philippines is the only remaining country, except from the Vatican, where divorce is not legal.

But David said that the country should take a little more time and discern how the Philippines ended up as the last holdout for divorce.

He cited the Philippine Constitution which states that: "The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development." 

While insisting that there's no truth to claims that there is no existing legal remedies to address marriage crisis, the bishop suggested that both the Church and State should explore more effective ways to maximize such remedies.

"The absence of legal divorce remedy should in fact be an additional reason for couples to think twice or thrice before entering into a civilly-binding marital commitment, precisely because of the value we put on the family as the foundation of the society," the prelate added.

In the Philippines, annulment is a legal option for couples who want their marriage to be declared void or invalid.

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Meanwhile, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “divorce is a grave offense against the natural law” as it "breaks the contract to which spouses freely consented."

The catechism also warned that contracting a new union "adds the gravity of the rupture” and that “the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery."

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In his visit to the Philippines, Vatican's foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher said “there have been no communications between Rome and the local Catholic Church, certainly no diplomatic overtures to the department or to the government” with regard to divorce.

The CBCP released the pastoral letter days after their 128th plenary assembly, which for the first time was held in Mindanao. 

Prior to its release, various dioceses and archdioces have released their respective statements regarding divorce. 

Lingayen Archbishop Socrates Villegas said that the Philippines as a holdout for divorce is a “badge of honor, a mark of distinction.”

He also warned that Catholics who would avail of divorce and re-marry are "in a serious, morally wrongful state."

The Diocese of Malolos, meanwhile, encouraged people to join a signature campaign against divorce, strengthen programs addressing family needs, and pray the rosary.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the bishops’ Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs, on the other hand, said that the Lower House’s approval of the bill was “a betrayal of their constitutional mandate to uphold marriage and the family.”  

In some churches like the Quiapo Church and Malolos Cathedral, tarpaulins emblazoned with "No to Divorce" have sprung up. Some priests have also started using their homily to denounce divorce, highlighting that it threatens the "sanctity of marriage."

Below is the full text of the CBCP's pastoral letter: