Thousands of Catholics took the streets of downtown Cebu on Saturday to pray the rosary against attempts to legalize divorce in the country.
The more than an hour procession from Fuente Osmeña Circle ended at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu, where Archbishop Jose Palma celebrated an outdoor Mass.
In his homily, he asserted that the Philippines being the only country in the world, apart from the Vatican, to outlaw divorce is nothing to be sorry about.
“We should not apologize, we should not feel sorry for being against it (divorce) because it is simply wrong,” Palma said.
The archbishop emphasized there are challenges in marriage but couples do not have to run away.
“Not all the time are there conflicts and problems. We also look at the joy and beauty of family, and it is right to give thanks to God,” he added. “We are saying yes to marriage, yes to family.”
The procession has seen crowds carrying banners and placards bearing slogans such as “Yes to Marriage and the Family, No to Divorce”; “Family is a Gift”; and “What God has joined together, let no one separate”.
Auxiliary Bishop Ruben Labajo of Cebu joined the participants throughout the length of the walk despite drizzle, as did dozens of priests.
A similar prayer rally also happened on Bantayan Island, south of mainland Cebu, to uphold the sanctity of marriage and family.
In May, the Lower house approved House Bill 9349, which would legalize absolute divorce in the predominantly Catholic Asian country.
The archdiocese earlier announced its signature campaign against divorce gathered around 157,000 signatures from different parishes.
“The signatures are not mere ink on paper but the heartbeats of a community that believes in the transformative power of the family,” it said.
The result of the campaign has already been submitted to the Senate, where divorce opponents hold a majority.