President Rodrigo Duterte’s attacks against God, the Church and its bishops are driving Filipino Catholics to cast votes for candidates not allied with the administration. Duterte earlier drew flak for calling God “stupid”, for cursing at Pope Francis and for issuing death threats against Roman Catholic bishops who allegedly plotted to oust him. By attacking Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Philippines’
Duterte threatens people who threaten priests
Thursday, February 28th, 2019People who threaten priests in the Philippines may attract the wrath of their president. After calling the country’s Catholic bishops “useless fools” who should be “killed,” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has now warned anyone against harming priests and prelates. The president made the warning after being told that people close to his family have threatened Read more
Philippines one of the great Catholic nations
Monday, December 3rd, 2018Pope Francis says Philippines is among the great Catholic nations in the world. He made the statement in his letter of appointment for Osaka Archbishop Thomas Manyo Cardinal Maeda as his envoy to the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration of the Manila Cathedral. Read more
President says pray at home, don’t pay idiots at church
Thursday, November 29th, 2018
President Rodrigo Duterte is urging Filipinos to pray at home instead of going to church. “When someone is baptised, you have to pay…when someone dies, you have to pay,” he says. “Build your own chapel in your own house and pray there. You don’t have to go to church to pay for these idiots,” he is Read more
Stolen church bells being returned
Thursday, November 15th, 2018
Following repeated requests from the Philippines, the Balangiga church bells US troops stole as war booty after the 1901 Balanginga Massacre are to be returned. The massacre occurred during the Philippine-US War (1899-1902). At present, two of the bells are displayed at the US 11th Infantry Regiment’s former base at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. Read more
72 percent of sex abuse trade perpetrators are parents
Monday, November 12th, 2018
Modern technology has provided a means for the live-stream sex abuse trade, which is rife in the Philippines. Christian churches in the Philippines are working with the government to shut down “all forms of child violence,” especially online sexual exploitation. Online sexual exploitation of children has become a major problem, says Bishop Ruperto Santos. “What Read more
Duterte mends fences with Catholics
Monday, July 2nd, 2018
The Philippine president Duterte has promised to mend fences with the Catholic Church. The president shocked many in Asia’s largest Catholic country last week by describing God as “stupid.” The next day, he said that he was not talking about his God and was instead insulting the God of his critics. “Mine has a lot Read more
Hong Kong Protestant leaders accused of sexual harassment
Monday, July 2nd, 2018More than half of alleged sexual offenders identified in a survey of Hong Kong Protestant churches were leaders or pastoral staff. Read more
Duterte says God must be stupid
Monday, June 25th, 2018
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte called God “stupid” because of the concept of “original sin” in the Bible’s creation story. Addressing a summit in Davao City last Friday, the president began by saying that he found it foolish for God to create something “perfect” and then allow the first humans, Adam and Eve, to ruin it Read more
Australian nun challenges deportation
Monday, May 7th, 2018
An Australian nun has fought back against the Philippine government revoking her missionary visa. Sister Patricia Fox has been living in the Philippines for 27 years as a missionary. Sister Fox says the Bureau of Immigration has “no right to define and delimit the scope of our missionary and apostolate works.” The bureau says it Read more