Duterte renews attacks vs Catholic Church on Holy Week
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2019 09:32:31 +0000
THE SOLEMNITY of Holy Week did not prevent President Rodrigo Duterte from renewing his attacks against the Catholic Church over its alleged criticism during its masses of his war against illegal drugs.
“Alam mo p***** i** may giyera (You son of b*tch, there is war). I have declared war. ’Pag hindi, matalo ang bayan ko (If I don’t declare, the people will lose),” Duterte said in his speech during a campaign rally in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.
“Kayong mga pari wala man kayong gawin. Mag-ano kayo forgiveness, forgiveness. Madala ba ’yan ng forgiveness,” he said.
(You priests, you can do nothing. You want to invoke forgiveness. That won’t help.)
The President then made fun of the Catholic sacrament of confession, saying attending Mass and seeking forgiveness from God were “useless” as he would tend to repeat his sins everyday.
“Kaya ako hindi nagsisimba. Kasi ’pag magsimba ako (That’s why I never attend mass because if I go to Church), ‘Forgive me, father, for I have killed last night three.’ Balik na naman ako kinabukasan (then I will return tomorrow), ‘Father, forgive me because I have killed 10 drug, drug lords.’ Pabalik-balik ako, bakit pa ako magpunta doon? Useless (I keep on returning, so why should I go back? That’s useless),” he said.
Citing the separation of the Church and State, Duterte once again reiterated that religious leaders should not use the Church in criticizing him and his administration.
“’Yung pari dapat huwag mong gamitin ang simbahan. Kung ito ang simbahan, pulpito ito, lumabas ka because there is a separation of Church and State. Hindi lahat tao Katoliko,” Duterte said.
(The priest should not use the Church. If that’s the Church, that’s a pulpit, you should go outside. Not everyone is Catholic.)
“‘Yan ang ibig kong sabihin. Lahat sa tamang panahon, sa tamang lugar. ‘Di ka basta-basta bira diyan [nang] bira (That’s what I meant. There’s always a right time and the right place. You should not just keep on criticizing). Be on the right place, on the right time, with the right issue. But you cannot be saying na dahil pari ka (that you’re a priest),” he added.
The President also questioned the concept of heaven and hell, and even said in jest that he preferred going to hell because it would be full of beautiful and willing women.
“Anong heaven and hell? Saan man ilagay? Bakit ako na ang Diyos? Diyos na ako. Bakit ako maggawa ng masamang tao at ilagay ko diyan sa impiyerno? (What heaven and hell? Where and why are we going there? I’m a god. Why I should create a bad person and place them in hell?),” Duterte said.
“Saan ang pinakamagandang babae dito sa Cagayan? Sa langit? Saan ’yung magaganda diyan sa mga bar, sa karaoke, ’yung magagandang katawan, magandang mukha, nasaan kaya sila? Nasa impiyerno (Where are the beautiful women here in Cagayan? Where are those beautiful women in bars, in karaoke, those who has beautiful body, beautiful face, where are they? In the hell),” he added.
Duterte also mentioned the alleged abuses committed by priests, noting that Pope Francis admitted that there were really cases of abuse perpetrated by religious leaders.
“Ano sabi ni Pope nung nagpunta siya sa Dubai? Na totoo ‘yung mga abuses sa mga bata at ‘yung mga madre ginagamit ng pari. San ang sinungaling ko? Si Pope mismo ang nag-admit ah (What did the Pope say when he went to Dubai? That the abuses committed by priest on children and nuns were true. So who’s not telling the truth there? It was the Pope himself who admitted it)?” he said.
Duterte has repeatedly used his speeches to lash out against bishops and priests, as well as to mock the beliefs of the Catholic Church.
He even called God “stupid” and branded the Catholic Church as the “most hypocritical institution” in the Philippines.
Duterte will spend the Holy Week with his family in his hometown in Davao City, his spokesman Salavdor Panelo said on Tuesday.
In his Holy Week message last year, Duterte urged Filipinos to “reflect on the Catholic values and embody selflessness, compassion and love.”
Malacañang declared April 18 (Maundy Thursday) and April 19 (Good Friday) as regular holidays and April 20 (Black Saturday) as a special non-working day. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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