President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest attacks against the Catholic Church were meant to cover up for the shortcomings of his administration, a bishop said Sunday.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the President was just bringing up “non-issues” so the public would get distracted from the real issues that should be addressed.
Just a week ago, Duterte urged the Catholic faithful to stop going to church to pray, and to just build their own chapels at home, calling the Church’s teachings “archaic.”
In his speech during the groundbreaking for a bulk water supply project in Davao City, Duterte again slammed the Catholic Church and said the public should stop going to church and pray instead at their own chapels at home.
“You build a chapel in your own house and pray there. You do not have to go to church to pray for these idiots,” Duterte said.
He asked if there were any bishops present at the event and dismissed their teachings as “archaic.”
“Are there bishops here? I would hit you on the nape of the neck. The Catholic Church, even Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David [are] clinging to a belief which was 3,000 years ago,” Duterte said.
Pabillo told dzMM radio that Duterte was doing what he was doing to hide the incompetence of his administration. He said Duterte’s promises remained promises.
“Ang traffic natin mahirap pa rin, ang drugs problem andiyan pa rin, kahirapan andiyan pa rin. Hindi naman niya natutugunan eh. ’yan dapat ang tinutugunan niya.”
Duterte’s latest attack on the church came after he accused a prelate of stealing Church donations and bringing them to his family, claiming he had a video to back his claims.
The President has routinely attacked the Catholic Church since he assumed office, even calling God “stupid” at one point, which drew flak from the Christian community.