BY: Leslie Ann Aquino
Abducted priest Father Teresito “Chito” Soganub remains a Catholic, said Marawi Bishop Edwin Dela Peña.
The prelate was reacting to reports that Soganub was forced to convert to the Muslim faith when he was still held captive by the Maute-ISIS bandits.
“It has no effect. No weight. It doesn’t mean anything to us. He remains a Catholic priest,” Dela Peña said in an interview.
In a press briefing, the Marawi prelate said there is no substance to the so-called conversion of the person involved in under duress.
“You cannot give your full consent. That is what religion is all about. Whether it is true or not, it doesn’t hold any water,” said Dela Peña.
“We have to put ourselves in his shoes. It must be difficult to decide one way or another when you are forced,” he added.
However, the Marawi prelate said he has yet to confirm this from Soganub himself as he is only set to meet with the priest later in the day at Camp Aguinaldo.