Bishop is opposed to change in divorce law

THE Bishop of Portsmouth has publicly criticised a proposed overhaul of divorce legislation, saying it destroys any chance of marriage reconciliation.

In the House of Lords, peers debated a shake-up to the 50-year-old divorce laws – which would allow ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of marriage to be the sole grounds for divorce.

The ability of a husband or wife to contest a divorce, used in fewer than two per cent of cases, will be scrapped under the overhaul.

But while the government says this will end the ongoing ‘blame game’ between couples, church leaders believe it would undermine marriage and increase the divorce rate.

Speaking in the House of Lords the Lord Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Christopher Foster, fiercely opposed the changes.

He said: ‘The possibility – even the probability – that a marriage has broken down is best explored by the couple together with the support and guidance of others before any definitive conclusion is reached.

‘Reducing the process of divorce to a single simple statement by one party risks squeezing out such exploration.

‘In seeking to minimise pain, the bill also risks removing the opportunity for reflection and the chance of reconciliation.

He added: ‘My concern is that the Bill before the House discourages reflection and hence the possibility of reconciliation. It represents a missed opportunity for wider and vital reforms.’