Vatican urges Filipinos to follow religious leaders on divorce

The Vatican has urged Filipinos to heed their religious leaders' guidance on the issue of divorce.

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, stated there has been no direct communication from the Philippine government or local Catholic bishops to the Vatican regarding the divorce bill.

He emphasized that the question of divorce is within the competence of the bishops' conference of the Philippines and individual bishops.

The Philippines, along with the Vatican, remains one of the few places globally that does not permit divorce.

A recent Social Weather Stations survey indicated that 50% of Filipinos agree that divorce should be legalized, while 31% disagree and 17% are undecided.

The House of Representatives passed a divorce bill on its third and final reading in May.