SEN. Juan Miguel Zubiri on Sunday said he would take to heart Pope Francis' appeal to him to "protect" the Filipino family amid efforts to legislate divorce.
Zubiri and his family met with Pope Francis during the pontiff's weekly catechesis and prayers for world peace visit at the Vatican on June 5.
"Pope Francis asked me to 'Please protect the [Filipino] family,' and this is an instruction that I will take to heart," Zubiri said in a statement.
"I am always going to remember his reminder, and I am going to do my best to protect the family values that hold our nation together," he said.
During the meeting, Zubiri explained to the pope that he was a pro-life and pro-family legislator, and the pope responded by asking him to "please protect the family."
The Philippines is the last country in the world that does not recognize divorce. A bill to legalize divorce has been approved in the House of Representatives.
While he is open to discussion on divorce, Zubiri said he maintains "a strong belief in the sanctity and insolubility of marriage."
"Meeting our Santo Papa (pope), as a Catholic and a Christian, was the greatest honor of my life, especially since I got to bring my kids along," said Zubiri, who has three children with his wife Audrey.
Seven senators are in favor of enacting a divorce law, while seven are against it. The remainder of the senators said they need to thoroughly study the divorce bill.
In favor of passing the divorce measure are Sens. Pia Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Grace Poe, Raffy Tulfo and Risa Hontiveros.
Senate President Francis Escudero, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, and Sens. Ronald de la Rosa, Joel Villanueva, and Zubiri oppose its passage.
Zubiri and his family were accompanied by the Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Myla Grace Ragenia Macahilig.
Zubiri is in Europe on "a short sabbatical away from politics," and to spend some "long-promised quality time" with his family.
"This is the first time in two years that I have been able to give my family my undivided attention, and so I really wanted to take them away for some family time - all at my personal expense, of course," he said.
"Our Catholic faith is so important to our family, so it was very humbling to have the Pope give us so much of his time and attention. He seemed especially fond of our youngest boy and even asked him to learn Spanish," Zubiri said.
Ejercito has said obtaining a divorce should not be as easy as ordering food at a "drive-through" and must only be allowed in extreme cases.
He said divorce should be allowed "when a wife or a husband is physically or emotionally abused."
"Divorce is an important decision for married couples and for our country. It should not be done hastily," Ejercito said in Filipino.
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