Catholic prelates on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s junking of the petition on same-sex marriage.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the decision was good saying the country already has a lot of problems to deal with as it is.
“That is good. The country has so many problems that affect the poor and the needy, like poverty, work, overseas Filipino workers and climate change,” he said in an interview.
“We should focus on these,” added Pabillo.
Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco also welcomed the move of the SC.
“At least SC still upholds what the Church holds,” he said.
But Ongtioco said the church will always “uphold” the teachings of Jesus regarding marriage no matter what the state legislates.
Although happy with the SC decision, a former official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Family and Life said such joy was incomplete.
“We rejoice that the Philippine Supreme Court junked with finality the petition for same-sex marriage. However, that joy is incomplete since the SC noted that the Philippine Constitution does not explicitly prohibit same-sex union,” Father Melvin Castro of the Diocese of Tarlac said.
“It leaves open to Congress to enact such a law,” he added.
With this, Castro said the ruling “challenges us to be vigilant and ever-on guard on any such move.”
The SC denied with finality the petition to legalize same-sex marriage in the country in a resolution December 10.
According to the SC, the motion for reconsideration has no “substantial arguments” that would warrant the reversal of the original decision.
It was in 2015 when lawyer Jesus Falcis asked the SC to declare Articles 1 and 2 of the Family Code, which limits marriage between a man and a woman, as being unconstitutional. (Leslie Ann G. Aquino)
