Church refutes high wedding fee cost claim

Manila: A top church official challenged claims by an activist-feminist group that high cost of weddings are prompting couples to forego formal exchanging of vows in a religious setting.

In a statement, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) secretary general, Father Joselito de Asia said cost of the wedding is not the reason why fewer Filipinos are getting married in church but rather, it is the preference of some couples for certain reasons.

“In fact many parish churches offer free weddings for those who want to receive the sacrament of marriage,” according to Asis.

Earlier, the Gabriela women’s party list said that “high wedding cost,” are pushing couples in the Philippines to forgo formal Church wedding ceremonies. It said the spending for a typical Filipino wedding inside a Church, can reach more than P100,000 (Dhs 8,850) depending on arrangements.

Asis, said this statement is “incorrect and uncalled for.”

“In fact many parish churches offer free weddings for those who want to receive the sacrament of marriage,” he said.

The church officials said what the church only asks from couples if to give a donation for a simple catholic wedding. He said it is up to the couple if they want more ostentatious ceremonies.

A related study commissioned by the Catholic Church in the country also said that marriage is losing favour in the country as fewer couples live together without formally exchanging vows in church.

“Filipino family life has changed drastically as marriage is losing ground and more couples live together without tying the knot,” the CBCP said in a separate statement, adding: “This means that a growing number of children are born in the country with unmarried parents.”

CBCP cited findings of a survey conducted during the second quarter of 2012 and commissioned by the Manila archdiocese-run Radio Veritas, that showed that only 57.7 per cent of the 2,500 Catholic respondents were found to be unmarried in churches.

The Philippines is a predominantly Roman Catholic country with some 80 per cent of the population of 85 million adhering to the faith.

In breakdown, 7.5 per cent of the respondents openly admitted that they are not married in churches while another 50.2 per cent did not reply.

Brother Clifford Sorita, who presented the study in a press conference, last week however, believed that those who answered “N/A” (not applicable) were unmarried and just “shy” to admit it.

“For Filipinos, if you are married, why would you not say that you are married? They are embarrassed, they are not comfortable. They would rather hide in anonymity,” said Sorita, referring to those who did not reply.

He said there is also a possibility that a portion of those who answered “no” might be married in civil rites or living in together, thus might even add to the growing number of Catholic couples who are living together without getting married.

According to him, a civil wedding was not considered as a “marriage” since “the precept is you have to be married in a church.”

CBCP media office director Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III, for his part, said the results of the survey is “very alarming”.

“The Catholic Church would have to focus on this problem [not married in churches]. This is a serious problem and we have to do something,” Quitorio said.