Pope to Filipino bishops: Strengthen matrimony

Pope Benedict XVI urged Filipino bishops to strengthen the sacrament of matrimony, especially among young couples today. Amid the “secularism" that exists in society today, bishops must show the young the importance of sacraments “as instrument of God’s grace and assistance," the pope said. “This is particularly true of the sacrament of matrimony, which sanctifies married life from its beginning, so that God’s presence may sustain young couples in their struggles," Benedict XVI said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site. The Oxford Advanced Learners dictionary defines secularism as "the belief that religion should not be involved in the organization of society, education," and others. The Pope made the statement during the “ad limina" visit of Bicol and Visayas bishops in Rome on February 18. The Pope’s statement also came amid the declining Catholic marriages in the country, the CBCP said. Earlier, a CBCP official said the number of church marriages dropped from 177,940 from 2008-2009 to just 166,000 in 2010. CBCP Commission on Family and Life executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro said this was because Filipinos were marrying at a later age. He said couples were also opting for civil marriages first before going for a “grand" church wedding. For his part, retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz of the CBCP’s National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal also admitted the high costs involved in holding church weddings is deterring couples from getting married. Cruz said churches must encourage couples to have simple wedding rites instead or offer the sacrament for free. – VVP, GMA News