Catholic prelate shuns debate, asks Duterte to expose sins of the Church

A Catholic prelate sees no need for the bishops to debate with incoming president Davao Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Instead, retired Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz asked Duterte to just expose what he knows about the so-called sins of the Catholic Church.

“Debates do not resolve matters. So, if he wants to expose what he knows about the mistakes or sins of churchmen, please do so. There is no problem. So, they can be corrected,” he said in an interview.

“If he says that he knows of some bishops and priests with children, I think he should reveal this and give the proper evidence so that the Church can do something about it,” added Cruz.

The prelate said the church never said that there are no bad bishops and priests. “Of course there are!” said Cruz. This, he said, is also the reason why the Church has a built-in mechanism to cleanse its own ranks and clergy.

“I know that because that is my work. There is a built in mechanism to see to it that churchmen keep their promises and wherefore, if they violate, the church will also impose penalty according to Church laws,” Cruz said.

Earlier, Duterte described the Catholic Church as the country’s “most hypocritical institution” since it is supposedly projecting itself as being good but has some of its members also committing wrongdoings.

“If I start to name the bishops who got married or about the women in their lives, sasabog itong Simbahang Katoliko. Do not think you are the moralizing agents of the society. As long as you are a human being, you are going to fall down,” Duterte was quoted.

But the former head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it will take more than Duterte to bring down the Church.

“The Church has undergone many trials and difficulties in 2000 years. But, don’t worry, the Church will continue, on and on and on. So, it may be good for the good mayor and incoming president to know these things,” said Cruz.

“The Church will remain unmoved. The churchmen will be there... that is with or without him (Duterte) being relevant in this issue. Since the Church has been founded 2000 years ago, it has undergone a lot of challenges. It will take much more than him (to bring the Church down),” he added.