31 Agosto 2015, 3:30p.m. – HINIKAYAT ng Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ang mga Katoliko na tutulan ang mga
panukalang naglalayong gawing legal ang same-sex marriage sa Pilipinas.
Sa isang liham pastoral na inilabas ng CBCP noong ika-28 ng
Agosto, iginiit ni Arsobispo Socrates Villegas ng Lingayen-Dagupan, pangulo ng
CBCP, na ang pagpapakasal ay hindi maaaring gawin sa pagitan ng magkaparehong
kasarian sapagkat ito ay para lamang sa isang babae at isang lalaki.
“Sexual
attraction towards the same sex is not a sin. But it is, in the light of our
understanding of marriage, objectively disordered – in the sense that it is not
ordered towards the union of male and female in a relationship of natural
complementarity,” ani Villegas sa liham pastoral na may titulong
“The Dignity and Vocation of Homosexual Persons.”
Ayon sa arsobispo, hindi kayang tugunan ng mga magulang na
magkapareho ang kasarian ang buong pangangailangan ng isang pamilya.
“Marriage binds a
man and a woman together for life so that the offspring of their union would
have the experience and benefit of the complementary male and female presence
in their total development. Homosexual unions, on the other hand, do not have
the basic biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family. They
are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of
the human race, and thus it would be an injustice to grant them legal
recognition along with the same benefits and privileges accorded to
marriage,” aniya.
Dinagdag niya na hindi maaaring dumalo ang mga Katoliko sa seremonyang ipinagdiriwang ang kasal ng dalawang tao na pareho ang kasarian.
“[Catholics] cannot participate in any way or even attend religious or legal ceremonies that celebrate and legitimize homosexual unions,” aniya.
Ayon pa kay Villegas, higit sa pagmamahalan at katapatan ang
pagpapakasal, dahil ito ay may kaakibat na responsibilidad sa lipunan.
“Marriage is more
than just the mutual affirmation one’s love and commitment to a
beloved…Denying homosexual unions the social and legal status of marriage
simply affirms that these unions, as well as other non-marital unions similar
to them, are not equivalent to marriage because they cannot give society what
marriages can give,” aniya.
Bagama’t legal na sa ilang bansa ang pagpapakasaI ng mga
magkasintahang magkapareho ang kasarian, iginiit ni Villegas na hindi mababali
ang katotohanan sa likas na katangian ng pagpapakasal.
“The truth about
marriage, i.e., that it is a social institution ordered towards the life-long
union of a man and a woman and the procreation and education of their children,
is attainable by human reason. However, given fallen human nature, especially
given the interior disarray of our carnal desires that obscures our intellect,
it is a truth that is often hard to grasp, and only after a long time, and with
the admixture of many errors,” aniya.
Sa kabila nito, nanawagan si Villegas sa mga pamilya na
patuloy na mahalin ang mga miyembrong homosekswal. “Families with members, who struggle with homosexuality, are
called to love them unconditionally, thereby outlasting all their other
same-sex loves.”
“To the Catholic
people and to other Christian believers, the Catholic Church is called to renew
her efforts to catechize the faithful about the true nature of creation and
marriage. This is especially urgent for our young people who may be led into
error and doubt by those social movements that want to normalize homosexuality
and to legalize homosexual unions,” aniya. Lea Mat P. Vicencio
