Vatican official: No communication between Pope Francis, PH on divorce

The Vatican has not reached out to the Philippines or local Catholic Church leaders regarding the proposed measure legalizing divorce in the country, which was recently approved by the House of Representatives.

Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, said Tuesday the issue has been left in the hands of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and its bishops.

"The teaching of the Catholic Church regarding marriage is very clear and well-known. As far as I know, there has been no communication between Rome and the local Catholic Church, certainly no diplomatic overtures to the department or to the government. At the pastoral level, the matter is within the confidence of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and the individual bishops," said Gallagher, who is in the Philippines for five days to meet with several officials including President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., as well as attend several activities.

The Philippines, with nearly 80% of its 110 million population belonging to the Catholic faith, and the Vatican are the only two countries in the world that prohibit divorce.

Last May 22, the House of Representatives approved on final reading House Bill 9349, or the proposed Absolute Divorce Act, after it received 131 affirmative votes, 109 negative votes, and 20 abstentions.

During their meeting in Malacañang Palace also on Tuesday, Marcos and Gallagher did not discuss the counterpart divorce bill pending in the Senate, as well as the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) bill, and same-sex marriage during their meeting, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

Marcos conveyed his good wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis and highlighted the vibrant diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the Holy See.

"It's a great pleasure to welcome you here in Manila," Marcos told Gallagher.

The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Vatican span 73 years after it was established on April 8, 1951.

Call to Filipino Catholics

Although Pope Francis has not sent a message opposing the divorce bill, Gallagher said, the Catholic Church encourages Filipino Catholics to listen to the messages of their church pastors on this issue.

"We, as the Holy See, obviously encourage Filipino Catholics, particularly their political leaders, to listen to their pastors and try to offer the best approach to this. But it is a matter for the bishops, whom I will be seeing in Mindanao in the coming days," Gallagher said.

Pope Francis has left it to the bishops to express their stance regarding the divorce bill.

Gallagher is scheduled to meet with the CBCP in their upcoming plenary meeting.

Climate crisis, education

Discussions between the Vatican and the Philippines, meanwhile, have focused on agreements related to education for priests and nuns in the country.

"The proposed agreement will allow for mutual recognition of degrees, benefiting Filipino priests and nuns pursuing further studies in different ecclesiastical and Catholic education institutions from the Holy See. We are committed to working towards the conclusion of an MOU," said Foreign Affairs secretary Enrique Manalo.

The Philippines and the Vatican have also agreed to strengthen cooperation to combat human trafficking and end violence against women and children.

In 2015, during Pope Francis' visit to Leyte, the issue of the climate crisis' impact on the Philippines was highlighted, brought about by devastating typhoons like Yolanda.

Currently, the Philippines and the Vatican are ironing out agreements for collaboration on addressing the climate crisis.

"The Philippines shares His Holiness' call for an urgent need to work together to address the climate crisis, and we look forward to close collaboration in this area with the Holy See," said Manalo. — VDV, GMA Integrated News