The Secretary of the Portuguese Bishops Conference (Cep), mgr. Manuel Morujão, responded to the promulgation of the new divorce law by the President of the Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, by criticising the introduction of "easier terms" for the dissolution of marriage. "The Church insists on the need that the fundamental institution of the family should be protected and safeguarded, by steering clear of any simplification that might be even popular but would not actually improve the existing legislation", said mgr. Morujão, who pointed out that "the Parliamentary majority did not basically keep into account the strong pleas made by the President of the Republic about the implicit dangers of the new law, which might lead to practical situations of deep injustice, especially for the most vulnerable subjects". "Conversely, all of society benefits from the stability of the family and the protection of its weakest members", stated the secretary of Cep. "This is not merely a religious point of view that concerns Christians only, it is a more global matter of humanism, which pursues the highest good of all society, in particular of that fundamental core of social cohabitation that is the family".
