Faithful urged to boycott same sex weddings

MANILA, Philippines - Novaliches bishop emeritus Teodoro Bacani yesterday called on the faithful to boycott same sex weddings because they should not support unions that are considered immoral and illegal by the Catholic Church.

“Same sex marriage is wrong, and if you attended the wedding it is as if you approve the union. It is not wrong to boycott these events because it is something very unnatural and we should not allow this to propagate,” Bacani said during a forum organized by the Catholic Media Network (CMN) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Media Office.

He said that while those who would attend as witnesses in a same sex wedding do not face any legal sanctions, “it is not right for people to participate on moral grounds.”

“You should not approve of things that God does not approve of and clearly this is one of those cases,” he said, emphasizing that his sentiments support what was written in the scriptures.

“The Holy Bible had said that marriage should be between a man and a woman. It was also branded as an abomination and St. Paul described a man having sex with another man as shameless,” the former Novaliches prelate said, adding that Filipinos should not copy the practices of other countries.

As for those who solemnized the wedding, Bacani hinted that it was possible that they would be prosecuted for doing something illegal.

“I am not particularly sure what crime (the ministers) committed but I know that to officiate such marriage, if they really considered it a real wedding, was against the law. We do not consider this a real marriage. This is only a ceremony of mutual agreement. This is almost like a fake marriage,” he said.

He clarified that the CBCP would not initiate the filing of cases against those who initiated the marriage and he is unaware if they should be apprehended, but he expressed belief that the ceremony should be considered “null and void” and the ministers might be subjected to disciplinary action.

Bacani, who was one of those who crafted the 1987 Constitution, said that while there was no mention of same sex marriage in the Constitution, it was mentioned in the Family Code that marriage should be between a man and a woman.  – With Artemio Dumlao