Bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD, 76, was bishop of Sorsogon (map) from 2003 until his retirement in 2019. Responding to the Pope’s remarks on same-sex civil unions, he said, “For me this is a shocking statement coming from a Pope. In my opinion this is contrary to divine law which explicitly permits only the union of man and woman or of opposite sexes of male or female, whatever that union is: civil, legal or sacramental.”