MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang Sunday lashed back at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for issuing a pastoral letter raising concerns on the “reign of terror” supposedly created by President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said CBCP officials are “apparently out of touch” with the sentiments of those who back the changes introduced by the president.
“The officials of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines are apparently out of touch with the sentiments of the faithful who overwhelmingly support the changes in the Philippines — turning the nation into a safer place for families, working people, especially young night shift workers, far from the "terror" the bishops paint rather dramatically,” Abella said in a statement Sunday.
“The efforts of these Church leaders might be put to better use in practical catechetics that build strong moral character among the faithful, and so contribute more to the reign of peace felt by ordinary citizens everywhere, especially those who are innocent of illegal activities,” he added.
The Catholic Church, the religious group of more than 80 percent of Filipinos, has earned the ire of Duterte after bishops criticized the spate of killings linked to the president’s narcotics crackdown.
About 7,000 suspected drug offenders have been killed since Duterte assumed office last June.
The president has claimed that the Catholic clergy has no moral ascendancy to criticize him because some of them have illicit affairs and are involved in sex and corruption scandals.
The CBCP Sunday issued a pastoral letter, expressing deep concern about the many deaths in the anti-drug campaign as well as the “reign of terror” in many poor communities.
The bishops also lamented the “indifference” of many to the killings, which they claimed is “considered as normal” and “something that needs to be done.”
The CBCP said it supports the campaign against illegal drugs but maintained that killing drug suspects would not solve the drug menace.
'Join me in hell'
Duterte called on those who support his anti-drug war to join him in hell.
“Kayong mg Katoliko, kung naniniwala kayo sa mga pari pati obispo doon kayo. Kung gusto nyo mapunta ng langit, doon kayo. Ngayon, kung gusto nang matapos ang droga pero magpunta ako sa impyerno, sumabay kayo sa akin (You Catholics, if you believe in priests and bishops, go with them. If you want to go to heaven, go there. Now, if you want to end illegal drugs but I will go to hell, come with me),” he said in a press briefing in Cagayan de Oro Sunday evening.