Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) defended Pope Francis for his statement on supporting civil union for same-sex couples.
CBCP said in a statement that Pope Francis did not intend to destroy “morals and orthodoxy.” They said his words did not compromise anything about the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and family.
“He just wants to do as Jesus himself did. He valued being kind and compassionate more than being right and righteous,” the CBCP said in its statement signed by its acting president Caloocan Bishop Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio David.
The CBCP noted that Pope Francis knows the bullying, rejection, and exclusion among homosexuals, having encountered them personally and supported them in their fight to legalize same-sex marriage when he was still the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Filipino bishops reiterated the Pope’s motto of Miserando Atque Algendo, or “wretched but chosen,” in making judgments to same-sex couples.
“If God could choose a wretched person such as he, why not these people as well? If God does not judge us even when we do stupid things, why will we judge these people?” the CBCP said. “If He who knows them better does not judge them, who am I to judge?”
For the first time, Pope Francis expressed support for the same-sex civil unions in the new documentary film “Francesco.”
CBCP defends Pope Francis over support for same-sex civil unions
“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way, they are legally covered,” the Pope said.
The CBCP compared Pope Francis’ support on same-sex civil unions to Jesus Christ’s treatment of “sinners” in the old orthodox Jewish society such as tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, Roman soldiers, rebels, and the Samaritans.
“He didn’t bring them to conversion by judging them, but by loving them, caring for them, being compassionate to them. He was never of the opinion that people who did bad things were to be treated as bad people,” the Filipino bishops explained. “He hated the sin but continued to love the sinner.”
“He is like a loving parent who just would not give up on any of his children. Just because they behave differently, or they live their lives in a manner that he does not approve of, does not mean they are not his children anymore,” the CBCP added.