An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recently asked lawmakers to raise the minimum legal age for marrying from 18 years to 24.
Lingayen–Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, head of the National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal, sought the revision of the law on marriage during a dialogue with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate at a hotel in Pasay City.
Citing his observation on the country’s youth today, Cruz argued that the current minimum legal age for marrying needs to be adjusted because “getting married at 18 could be disadvantageous since a person at such an age is still unripe or incapable of living alone.”
“Mental capability and preparedness is very important in marriage, especially since it involves raising your own family,” the archbishop explained in an interview after the Bishops-Legislators Caucus.
“Marriage is never a simple relationship that everyone could just go into. It entails many responsibilities that require physical, emotional and spiritual preparedness,” Cruz, former CBCP president, further said.
The prelate likewise believes that the adjustment in marrying age under the law could be the key to preventing dissolution of unions and families, which he lamented is becoming more common in the country.
“I told them (lawmakers) that we will never support divorce because it is against the teachings of the Church,” he added.