Pope’s comments not directed at Duterte, says Palace

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte could not be considered "evil" just because he constantly criticizes the Catholic Church, Malacañang said on Thursday, February 21.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo defended the President after Pope Francis dubbed the critics of the Church as "friends, cousins, and relatives of the devil."

Speaking before pilgrims at the Vatican, the pontiff said the wrongdoings committed by church leaders should be denounced to be corrected, but those who condemned "without love" were linked to the devil.

Panelo said he believed that the Pope's statement was not directed at the President.

"No. Baka nga hindi niya kilala si Presidente (The Pope may not even know the President)," the Palace official said, when asked if the President felt alluded to by the pontiff's remarks.

Panelo said the pontiff could very well be "referring to himself" since he is also a critic of "immoral" Church members, or he probably just expressed a hyperbole.

"One of the better critics of the Church is the Pope himself. He criticizes members of the Church who are engaged in what he perceives to be immorality, which is outside of the teachings of Christ or the internal discipline of the Church. When he addressed those members of the Church who could not be a celibate to leave the Church, he is critic," he said.

"If I will agree with that, then the Pope would be referring to himself also because he's also a critic. Palagay ko, ano lang 'yun, hyperbole (Perhaps, it's just a hyperbole)," Panelo added.

Panelo said President Duterte is merely voicing out "concern (over) and opposition" to the irregularities perpetrated by some members of the Catholic Church.

"It doesn't mean also that when you criticize, you are evil. You're just expressing concern and opposition to certain irregular behavior," the Palace official told Palace reporters.

"When you criticize, you cannot be evil," he added.

Duterte, who believes in God but not in religion, has persistently hurled verbal attacks peppered with profanities at the Catholic Church, which he repeatedly branded as the "most hypocritical institution." (SunStar Philippines)

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