The president of the Philippines has stepped up his conflict with the country’s bishops, daring them to resign.
At a meeting with the bereaved families of police officers, Rodrigo Duterte said: “I challenge all [in] the bishops’ conference. Let’s resign tomorrow, all together, OK? Resign. I will do it first. I will deliver my letter of resignation, you wait.”
Mr Duterte, who was elected last year, has clashed repeatedly with the country’s bishops, especially over his support for the death penalty and support of extrajudicial killings of criminals. Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the president of the bishops’ conference, said the country was being damaged by “twisted, upside-down values”, and “cuss words, orchestrated lies and vulgarity never heard before”.
The president often uses crude language to attack the Church. He defended his style in his speech, saying: “What’s wrong with that? It was easy for them [the priests] to call the politician corrupt. How about you? Some are afraid because of politics. You are a son of a bitch.”
He also said: “I challenge you now. I challenge the Catholic Church. You are full of s—. You all smell bad, corruption and all.”
Mr Duterte has targeted drug dealers since coming to office. There are reports that 8,000 have been killed by police or vigilantes since last year, and 38,000 imprisoned. Mr Duterte has admitted carrying out extra-judicial killings. The president has also frequently denounced the country’s bishops as corrupt, and has launched a drive to distribute contraceptives.
Last week Mr Duterte told the bishops he would like to write a book called “Hypocrisy”, in which they would have a “starring role”. He added: “I will tell the bishops, many of them: ‘We have the same ignominy – women. But you are into corruption. I am not into money, just into women. So I am limited to that.’ ”
Ivory Coast bishops call for calm amid rising unrest
Catholic bishops in Ivory Coast have launched a campaign of fasting and prayer for peace after a wave of army mutinies and civil service strikes.
In a message published last week, the bishops spoke of the people’s “social malaise” and said the current unrest, “far from calming spirits, is inciting passions and anxieties”.
“We immediately invite all elements of society to gather round a single table and debate all issues relating to security, high costs of living, youth unemployment and working conditions,” the bishops said.
They thanked the government of President Alassane Ouattara for attempts to develop the French-speaking country, but urged greater efforts to “redistribute the fruits of growth” and ensure equal justice and security for all.
“Some of our compatriots are still unjustly detained in prison, while others live in exile, and combatants and military personnel implicated in the successive crisis which shook our country are uneasy about their future,” they said.
“Many youngsters who hoped for a better life are expressing disappointment. If we are not careful, this worsening climate risks gravely compromising all the fruits of our work.”
Missionary murdered in Bolivia
A Polish lay missionary has died after an apparent robbery at a childcare centre in the city of Cochabamba in Bolivia.
Helena Kmieć, who had arrived in the country only two weeks earlier, was stabbed by intruders and later died of her injuries. Fr Adam Ziolkowski, director of the Salvator Missionary volunteering group for which she worked, said she was a “kind person; she never missed a chance to do something good for others. We miss her very much.”
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