Santiago, Chile, Mar 18, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Executive Committee of the Chilean Bishops Conference has issued a statement rejecting the legalization of divorce and reaffirming the bishops’ determination “to strengthen the foundations of Chilean married couples” so that they might be “a true sanctuary of life, of trust and peace.”
The statement, presented by Bishop Gonzalo Duarte of Valparaiso, explains that Article 20 the country’s Constitution will acknowledge that the conjugal covenant between spouses is founded upon the sacrament of Marriage. “Between themselves and before God they take on the unique commitment of loving each other as Christ loved us,” says the statement.
The bishops added that the covenant young people enter into through an indissoluble marriage can have the strength which they desire “and the law does not wish nor cannot it take that away.”
Bishop Duarte said the State and the Church should look to the future and as such the protection of the family is the responsibility of all. “We are not interested in the prestige of the Catholic Church, we are interested in the good of the family in Chile,” he said.