Should legal marriage age be raised in the Philippines?
Submitted by FatherSean on Sat, 07/19/2008 - 10:03.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/77928/Bishop-wants-marriage-age-raised
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THIS?
Bishop wants marriage age raised
01/25/2008 | 01:43 AM
Noting a trend where young people get married, have children and separate, a senior Catholic bishop batted Thursday for changing marriage laws to raise the minimum age for marriage.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines' National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal, said raising the marrying age should help remedy "broken marriages."
"Getting married at 18 could be disadvantageous since a person at such an age is still unripe or incapable of raising a family," he said at the 3rd Bishops-Legislators’ Caucus in Pasay City.
He suggested to lawmakers to raise the minimum legal marrying of 18 years, saying most people that age are still “psychologically unprepared and emotionally unstable."
While he did not specify an "ideal" age, he said mental capability and preparedness is very important in marriage, “especially since it involves raising your own family."
On the other hand, he lamented some lawmakers' tendency to push remedies for broken marriages but nothing to fortify marriages and prevent marriage failures.
“Marriage is never a simple relationship that everyone could just go into. It entails many responsibilities that require physical, emotional and spiritual preparedness," he said.
The caucus is an initiative of the CBCP, which started last September that aims to discuss issues of national concern, especially about the about population, family and life, and morality.
Lawmakers and bishops agreed to meet once every two months to assess pending bills in Congress that may have impact on the family. - GMANews.TV
This is also posted in Misyon Coffee Shop
I think it boils down more
I think it boils down more to just age but to preparation done by both the parents and the church. How are the marriage preparations for couples being done? Is it enough? I know that most people nowadays don't get married in the church because of the 'money' involved, thinking it costs a lot in contrast to a civil ceremony. But that isn't is, right?
I don't remember any catechetical instructions on marriage that made much of an impression on me from High School or college. Though in college, we did have a very good professor on Marriage and the Sacraments but that's because I went to a catholic university. Not all young people do. In the parishes, I only remember being interviewed for an hour or so as part of the pre-cana preparations. It might be because I already had instructions on it because of my background but is that the standard practice for all pre-cana seminars? If so, I think aside from age, education must be a factor before anyone can get married.