Laoag diocese opens court for troubled marriages

The Diocese of Laoag has opened a marriage tribunal for troubled Catholic couples, the first tribunal of its kind in the Ilocos region.

According to the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCANews) site, Father Noel Ian Rabago has been appointed judicial vicar.

A marriage tribunal can either recommend that a union be saved or annulled.

Rabago cited the case of a couple who were united in a marriage arranged by their parents. They separated after five years after realizing that their marriage could not work.

“The tribunal can hear cases like this and decide to nullify the marriage if it’s warranted,” Rabago was quoted as saying in the UCANews site.

“While the Church believes in the sanctity of marriage, there are cases when marriages take place in the absence of love, either from one or both parties, or with doubt or uncertainty,” he added.

The priest explained that the tribunal will primarily serve as a “healing and reconciling ministry.”

Unlike civil courts, Rabago said the Church justice system is “inquisitorial” and always aims for a “win-win” solution.

According to the UCAN Diocesan profiles, as of July 2008, the Laoag diocese had 391,092 baptized Catholics, representing 58.64 percent of its 620,462 population. –VVP, GMANews.TV