Malacañang on Thursday said Congress no longer has any excuse no to pass legislation allowing the civil union of same sex couples after it was recently backed by Pope Francis.
“With no less than the Pope supporting it, I think even the most conservative of all Catholics in Congress should no longer have a basis for objecting,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
He reiterated President Rodrigo R. Duterte also supports the passage of the said legislation.
“The President has said it over and over again, that he is in favor of a law recognizing civil union for same sex relationships,” Roque said.
In a documentary aired on Wednesday, Pope Francis declared his support for the civil union of same-sex couples, which made him the first Pontiff to do so.
Several local bishops expressed their disbelief on the Pope Francis’ position on the issue.
Sorsogon Bishop Emeritus Arturo Bastes said he was “shocked” and “scandalized” by the said pronouncement.
“For me, this is a shocking statement coming from the Pope. In my opinion, this is contrary to Divine Law, which explicitly permits only the union of man and woman or of opposite sexes of male or female, whatever that union is: civil, legal, or sacramental,” Bastes said.
Other bishops, who were also surprised by the said development were Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani, and Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos.
Santos said they will first verify the said statement of Pope Francis to determine if it will become an official position of the Church on the matter.
“It is just a documentary film so it is not official, and should first be verified. Being a film, there could be insertion or edited, or just for propaganda so that it could be talked about or patronised,” Santos said.