President Duterte on Friday said that the Catholic Church’s greatest adversary is not him but itself.
In a speech during the proclamation rally of the administration Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan in Negros Occidental, Duterte reiterated his tirades against the Catholic Church.
The President noted that he is only defending himself from the criticisms against him by members of the clergy while they are behind the pulpit.
“I have a very serious problem with the Church. Hindi ako ang problema ng Church, sila. Eh ganun talaga,” he said.
“Edukado naman tayong lahat. If you want to criticize me and you are a priest or a preacher, itong pulpito na ito, do not use this. You have to go out because there is a separation of Church and State and nobody but nobody can stop a citizen from criticizing me,” he added.
“Huwag dito. Kasi dito international ‘to, sa Vatican. If bastusin mo ako, p***** i** mo talagang bastusin rin kita. Wala akong pakialam na. Who gave you the right to do that?” Duterte continued.
The President stressed how he was right about the abuses being committed by some of the men in cloth because of the admission of Pope Francis and Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
“Early on, sinabi ko, we were victims of – you know. Tapos walang naniwala and I was criticized. O ngayon pumutok na. Even si Pope who went to Dubai admitted that ‘yung mga madre konsumo ng pari. I said it,” Duterte said.
“Presidente na ako, sinasabi ko ‘yan. Sinasabi ko sa inyo kasi nangyayari. Kaya nagalit sila then depensa. Only for the Pope to admit that these things happened verily in the so many years,” he added.
Duterte said that the truth had finally caught up with the Catholic Church.
“That is what is good about telling the truth because time will prove it. Hindi mo matago ‘yan. Hindi mo ‘yan matago ‘yang katotohanan,” he said. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
