Cardinals air views on family life in Miriam’s renewal of vows

Roman Catholic Church officials who officiated the renewal of vows of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and her husband used the occasion to air views on family life, a topic linked to the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales spoke of the value of human life during the 40th wedding anniversary of Defensor-Santiago, who is pushing for the passage of the RH bill at the Senate. “Kung merong tatay, kung merong nanay… and a third person [comes] in, just in God’s spirit. A child or children would have life and help bind that rope between mama and papa," he said during the homily on Sunday. Cebu Archbishop-Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, for his part, talked about the importance of the family and crafting laws to protect it. “The family is the basic unit of society. To undermine the family is to weaken society," he said during the wedding ceremony. GMA News’ Sherrie Ann Torres reported that these statements were apparent reiterations of the Roman Catholic Church’s stand against the RH bill and artificial contraception. The Roman Catholic Church promotes only natural family planning and is opposed to the RH bill, which promotes the use of artificial birth control methods such as condoms and birth-control pills.

Miriam stands firm The senator, however, remained firm about her pro-RH stand, saying that her faith as a Roman Catholic and her job as a legislator do not clash with each other. “I’m just trying to exercise my freedom of conscience," she said. Defensor-Santiago renewed her marriage vows with former Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Narciso Santiago on Sunday in an event attended by prominent personalities in politics, business and the media. The senator authored Senate Bill 2378, the Senate’s version of the RH bill, which is up for debates in August. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ/KBK/HS, GMA News