A Catholic bishop urged Filipino children to pray for the ‘preservation of families’ after lawmakers in the lower house approved a measure seeking to legalize absolute divorce in the country.
READ: Bishops hit House approval of divorce bill | Homily: Divorce, yes or no?
Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag on Saturday presided over Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro in Sampaloc, Manila for the first World Children’s Day.
In his homily, he encouraged the children to be steadfast in their faith and pray for the preservation of traditional values.
“We need prayer for the preservation of the family so that divorce does not happen in the Philippines,” Mayugba said. “We need to pray for peace, love, and joy in the family.”
A divorce bill moved closer to becoming a law after the House of Representatives approved it on third and final reading last week.
The Philippines is the only place outside the Vatican where divorce is outlawed.
The bishop emphasized that prayer is our best weapon against challenges and a powerful way to connect with God’s love and guidance.
“And the prayers of children are powerful. He (God) listens to the prayer of children,” Mayugba added.
The World Children’s Day was established by Pope Francis to celebrate all the children in the worldwide Church.
Pope Francis himself led the main celebration held in Rome on May 25 and 26, while many dioceses around the world held activities for the special day.
“The Holy Father wants us to look at children as blessings. Children are blessings to the world, to families, to parents, and to the Church,” Mayugba said.
