Singapore is experiencing a rise in divorce cases. (Photo: Unsplash)
By UCA News reporter
June 30 2022
Catholic Divorce Support Group seeks to bring ‘hope and healing’ to those who are divorced or separated.
A church-sponsored group in Singapore has launched two special programs to help divorced Catholics with the healing and restoration of their personal and family lives.
The Catholic Divorce Support Group (CDSG), an affiliate of the Catholic Family Life Commission of Singapore Archdiocese, wants to help Catholics cope with the stress of breaking up, according to a report in the Catholic News of Singapore on June 29.
A 13-week program, “Surviving Divorce,” will run from July 5 to Oct. 4, while a three-day program, “Beginning Experience Weekend,” is scheduled for Sept. 9-11.
The group seeks to bring “hope and healing” to those who are divorced or separated and to help them and their families live the universal call to holiness.
The CDSG takes its cue from Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) on the Church’s teachings on pastoral care for families and marriage
The pope said that while the Church’s teaching about divorce remains unchanged, all Catholics are invited to make respectful accompaniment a priority for those who are separated, divorced or abandoned, the group noted.
“Divorced Catholics are present in all spheres of our church community, from our children’s catechists to the communion minister bringing Jesus to us, to the worshipper sitting right beside us at Mass”
“Respect needs to be shown, especially … to those who have been forced by maltreatment from a husband or a wife to interrupt their lives together. To forgive such an injustice that has been suffered is not easy, but grace makes this journey possible. Pastoral care must necessarily include efforts at reconciliation and mediation,” Pope Francis wrote in the document.
The group seeks to support divorced Catholics with love, hope and charity in four specific ways, said CDSG facilitator John Ooi.
The term “divorced Catholic” seems contrary to Jesus’ teaching on married people: “What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). Divorce and separation today are pertinent topics that impact societies, and especially the Church, he said.
“Divorced Catholics are present in all spheres of our church community, from our children’s catechists to the communion minister bringing Jesus to us, to the worshipper sitting right beside us at Mass,” said Ooi.
Ooi said that the Church is invited to acknowledge the struggles of our brothers and sisters who have or are undergoing a divorce and walk with them as they undergo this journey of healing and restoration.
“Just as Jesus came to walk with the broken-hearted, he hands this responsibility and vocation to us to accompany those whose hearts are in need of healing today,” he added.
His group offers pastoral and psychological support to divorced Catholics all year round in collaboration with marriage and family life experts.
After years of deliberations, Singapore’s parliament amended the Women’s Charter on Jan. 10 to introduce divorce by mutual agreement. The change sought to offer couples a more amicable option to split up legally
It seeks to help divorced and lonely Catholics in assisting them in finding answers to three basic questions — how to navigate emotional turbulence to find personal healing and hope; how to discover a deeper understanding of God’s love; and how to look to the future with hope and forgiveness.
Singapore has seen rise in divorce cases in recent times, largely due to socioeconomic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of divorces rose by 2 percent in 2021 from 2020, The Straits Times reported in March. In this period, family justice courts had a 4 percent rise in caseloads.
After years of deliberations, Singapore’s parliament amended the Women’s Charter on Jan. 10 to introduce divorce by mutual agreement. The change sought to offer couples a more amicable option to split up legally.
Singapore is a multireligious and multiethnic nation with an estimated population of 5.6 million. About 31.1 percent of Singaporeans are Buddhist, 18.9 percent Christian, 15.6 percent Muslim, 8.8 percent Taoist and 5 percent Hindu. About 20 percent don’t adhere any religion.
Singapore Archdiocese covers the entire nation and has about 360,000 Catholics in 32 parish churches. – UCA News
