PHILIPPINES
Rappler
Pia Ranada
MANILA, Philippines – After being slammed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for cursing Pope Francis, Rodrigo Duterte said he would withdraw if the body asks, but would challenge bishops to a debate about the Catholic church’s “sordid history.”
“You priests, you bishops, you condemn me. And you suggest that I withdraw and I will withdraw, but then I will start to open my mouth. There are so many secrets that children are hiding. This religion is not so sacred,” he told reporters during an ambush interview on Tuesday, December 1.
The Church, he said, should not be quick to judge him because the institution is also not spotless.
“Bakit yung mga pari na may kaso, may asawa, may anak, bakit hanggang ngayon hindi niyo ma-criticize ang sarili niyo?” he said, visibly distressed. (How come the priests with cases, those who are married, with children, how come you can’t criticize yourselves?)
Abused by a priest?
He even hinted that he himself endured abuse in the hands of a priest during his high school years at the Ateneo de Davao.
“Kami sa Ateneo noon (We in Ateneo before), and I will tell you the abuses committed against the minors, including me, and I will tell you my story.”
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