It’s tantamount to supporting divorce.

This was the reaction of Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (CBCP-ECFL), on the statement made by President Benigno Aquino III that he is against divorce but separated couples should be allowed to remarry.

“We are happy that he is against divorce. However, what he is advocating has the same effect as divorce,” he said in an article posted on the CBCP website.

Castro said current laws in the Philippines state that legal separation does not allow remarriage and it also does “not dissolve marriage.”

“The legal remedies for marriages in distress are more than enough under existing laws. Marriages in difficult situations cannot be addressed by new legislations,” he said.

The CBCP official is also convinced that divorce is not the answer in differences between couples.

“Legalization of divorce will create more marital problems,” said Castro.

He said divorce could serve as an “easy way out” for couples which should not be allowed since marriage is a holy contract and a covenant for a lifetime.

Last week, Aquino said he is against the legalization of divorce, which is proposed by some female lawmakers in Congress as an option for couples in failed relationships.

But, he said, separated couples should be allowed to remarry especially when a union is irreparable no matter what interventions or counseling is done.