Duterte: I am a Christian, but no longer a Catholic

With all his musings about God, President Duterte recently declared that he remains a Christian but was no longer a Catholic.

In his recent visit to the province of Cebu, the President admitted that he does not a have a clear religion due to the different religions of

his parents.

“I’m a Christian but I’m not a Catholic anymore,” said Duterte who previously admitted being molested by a priest in Ateneo high school.

“And besides, I really did not have any clear religion because my mother is a Moro. She’s a half-Maranao. It’s my father who’s the Christian,” he added during a health forum in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu last Friday.

Duterte maintained that he believes in God but not the “stupid” god of critics in the church. He took exception to the exorbitant fees demanded by the church during baptism, marriage, and burial.

“That’s the problem with... it’s all expense. If you marry, you pay. Burial, you pay. Baptism, you pay. And you tell me that your religion is good?” he said, alluding to the sacraments of the Catholic Church.

“And that is why I said, your God is not my God. Your God is stupid. My God has a lot of common sense,” he added.

Cleric abuse The President also assailed the local Catholic Church for its refusal to investigate allegations of child sexual abuse committed by some priests.

He said church leaders knew of cases of abusive priests but still pretended to be righteous because they were also “a bunch of sh*t.”

One of the cases ignored by the church, Duterte claimed, was the abuse he and other Ateneo students endured from a Jesuit priest years ago.

“The Catholic Church of the Philippines, never bothered to investigate them,” Duterte said during a health forum in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu last Friday.

“And all the things that they did, asking cars from government, getting it free when they know very well that there is a separation of church and state, that no money of the government shall be spent for the benefit of the religious or religion,” he said.

Duterte recalled that he and other high school students were molested by Jesuit priest Mark Falvey while studying at the Ateneo de Davao University. He claimed that the school and church turned a blind eye to such abuse scandal.

“I have nothing against them but the problem is they never really investigated the cases there,” he said.

“I knew that the church knew about this and the homosexuality all over and the philandering priest. They all keep on making this facade of righteousness and everything, when they know that after all they’re also a bunch of s*** because we are all humans,” he added.