PHILIPPINES
Catholic Herald (UK)
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte accused some bishops of violating their vow of celibacy
The presumptive Philippine president-elect has launched a verbal attack on the country’s dominant Church as “the most hypocritical institution” and accused some of its bishops of corruption for allegedly asking favours from politicians, including him.
In a late-night news conference that dragged on to the early hours of Sunday in southern Davao city, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte questioned the relevance of Catholic bishops, citing his overwhelming victory in the May 9 presidential election based on an unofficial count despite efforts by them to persuade Filipinos not to vote for him.
Such harsh public condemnation of the influential Church and its bishops by a top politician is rare in the Philippines, Asia’s bastion of Catholicism.
It presages a potentially thorny relationship between the Church and the incoming president, who shocked bishops in November when he criticised Pope Francis for sparking a huge traffic jam that trapped him for hours during a visit to Manila. Duterte apologised after bishops denounced his action. During the campaign, Duterte said he warned Catholics they may go to hell if they voted for him because bishops have criticised him as immoral partly for advocating the killing of criminals. Millions of Filipinos, however, still voted for him in the election, which he said served like a referendum.
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