Catholic bishops who do nothing but criticize are better off dead, President Duterte declared Wednesday in his latest stinging rebuke of Church leaders.
The President argued that the Church was the “most hypocritical institution,” citing persistent allegations of corruption and abuse involving some priests.
“Itong mga obispo ninyo, patayin ninyo. Walang silbi ‘yang mga gagong ‘yan. All they do is criticize,” Duterte said during the awarding ceremony of the 2017 Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities in Malacanang.
Apart from alleged involvement in abuses, Duterte accused the Catholic Church of being the “gridlock” in the implementation of family planning in the country.
“It’s the most hypocritical institution. Kita mo sabi ni Pope, ‘If you cannot be celibate, get out,'” he said.
Despite his misgivings about some Church leaders, the President reiterated that he still believes in God. He acknowledged that he would not made it through life without God.
“I never said I was an atheist,” Duterte said. “I never said I do not believe in God. What I said is your God is stupid, mine has a lot of common sense. That’s what I told the bishops. I couldn’t have made it in life even the barest that I – before the presidency – without God,” he added.
Duterte, however, still resented the Catholic Church for the abuse he endured when he was young. He claimed he was molested by a Jesuit priest when he was still studying at Ateneo de Davao University.
“The Catholic faith destroyed us when we were in high school,” he said. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
