Duterte Is He An Atheist?
Duterte speaks about religion – It is not new to us how Presumptive President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte has been receiving a lot of criticism both positive and negative from various religious groups of the country, even before the election had started.
Some do believe that the presumptive president is an atheist due to his no-fear and uncontrollable actions and of course his “straightforward and foul mouth.” And just yesterday, (May 19, 2016) presumptive president Duterte speaks regarding the issue of his religious belief.
During an interview conducted by a GMA-7 veteran news anchor and personality Jessica Soho in her “State of the Nation” special newscast, Duterte clarified everything saying that he believes in God saying:
“For the record, I believe in God, but I do not believe in religions. Period.”
He also commented his side with regards on some hypocrisy of some clergies in the issue of the separation of church and state. (1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines – Article II)
Watch the video below:
Last year, during the papal visit in the country, the whole country was in astonishment. The humble leader of the Catholic Church has landed on the Philippines. As chosen by Pope Francis, he rides an open mobile service instead of an armored car and roamed the major roads of Manila to give his blessings to the Filipino who welcomed him.
The Same day, Duterte was on his way for an important meeting. And as expected, he was stuck in a traffic jam and came very late for his meeting.
In one of his media interviews, he shared his experience and out of nowhere, he cussed Pope Francis on live television told him to fly back to Vatican.
And with that, the bishops and priests of the Philippines reacted.
Bishop Socrates Villegas commented, “I can only bow my head and grieve in great shame. My countryman has gone to the dregs.”
Duterte’s comment drew a lot of negative feedbacks. But later on, he shifted he apologized for what he had said saying that it was not the Pope he was cursing instead, it was the government for failing to manage the traffic properly.
Pope Francis accepted Duterte’s sincere apology and gave his blessing on Duterte for his candidacy.
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