Philippines: prelate criticizes presidential candidate over remark about Pope
December 02, 2015
A Philippine presidential candidate used an expletive to refer to Pope Francis, prompting a condemnation from the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Lamenting the traffic during the papal visit to the Asian nation, candidate Rodrigo Duterte said, “I wanted to call out, ‘Pope you [expletive] go home. Don't come here anymore.’”
“When a revered and loved and admired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidate and the audience laugh, I can only bow my head and grieve in great shame,” Archbishop Socrates Villegas responded. “My countrymen [have] gone to the dregs.”
The prelate then denounced murder and adultery committed by politicians.
“Killing is a crime and a sin, whether it is done by criminals or public officials, no matter what the intention,” he said, and adultery “makes married love cheap and uses people for pleasure. Adultery corrupts the family; it destroys children and victimizes the weak.”
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Further information:
- CBCP hits Duterte’s cursing of Pope (CBCP News)
- Philippine presidential hopeful Duterte draws flak for Francis insults (UCA News)
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