Spokesman Harry Roque visited the Papal Nuncio on Friday, and both agreed President Rodrigo Duterte would meet with the leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in the aftermath of the President’s controversial statements about the Catholic faith.
Roque, who described his meeting as “no-holds-barred,” said he and the Papal Nuncio Gabriel Giordano Caccia agreed that the State and the Church should work together for the benefit of the people.
The Papal Nuncio, who is the representative of the Vatican in the Philippines, also said he welcomes subsequent meetings with the President.
There is no date yet for the dialogue between Mr. Duterte and CBCP president and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, although much of the hope stems from their hailing from the same area.
In the past few days, there have been efforts to mollify members of the Catholic church who felt the President had crossed a line and done irreparable damage when he referred to the creation story in the Bible and called God stupid.
Among these efforts are apparent backpedaling on the part of the President, who “clarified” that he was referring to the qualities of the God that he believed in, instead. The Palace also formed a committee to reach out to the Catholic leaders.
But just as everybody was wondering if the damage could even be repaired, the President addressed a crowd in Leyte in his characteristic, defiant devil-may-care way.
Mr. Duterte said he would hit St. Peter and that Iglesia ni Duterte should be the new religion. He also simulated sex sounds while talking about errant priests—to the utter delight of the crowd.
We wonder what these new remarks would do to the planned dialogue. In a dialogue, one sits down and talks to another in an effort to reach compromises and explain one’s side. But it does not look like there is much sincerity in holding the talks. Perhaps the President does believe that so long as there are people who are entertained by his words—say, would-be followers of the Iglesia ni Duterte—he can get away with saying anything he wants.
It’s a sad development not only for Catholics but also for the nation. We could certainly do away with these unnecessary divisions and focus on the real daunting work ahead.