Filipino bishops slam ‘Dirty Harry’ candidate
Duterte expresses regret for obscenity-filled speech cursing the Pope
Catholic bishops in the Philippines lashed yesterday at a presidential candidate popularly known as “Dirty Harry” after he made a rambling and obscenity-filled speech cursing the Pope.
Rodrigo Duterte, whose hardline anti-crime reputation has seen him compared with Clint Eastwood’s no-nonsense enforcer, sparked the ire of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, which questioned if he deserved to be president.
“When a revered and loved and admired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidate and the audience laughs, I can only bow my head and grieve in great shame,” said a statement, issued by the group’s president, Archbishop Socrates Villegas. The comments are a rare personal criticism of a presidential candidate from senior church leaders in the largely Roman Catholic nation.
Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, declared his intention on Monday to run for president in the 2016 election, referencing a January visit to Manila by Pope Francis, whom he blamed for a massive traffic jam.
Killing criminals
Duterte also boasted of having mistresses and of killing suspected criminals, a frequent accusation levelled against him by human rights advocates. The bishops said these remarks raised further questions about Duterte. “Killing people is corruption. Killing is a crime and a sin whether it is done by criminals or public officials no matter what the intention. Adultery is corruption ... Vulgarity is corruption,” the statement said.
“Is this the leadership by example that Mayor Duterte excites in us? Is this the leadership by example that makes a public official deserving of the title “Honourable”? it added.
Duterte expressed regret for cursing Pope Francis in a recent speech as Filipinos reacted strongly.
“I sincerely express sadness and regret that the part of my speech mentioning Pope Francis in relation to the monstrous traffic gridlock in January came across as being disrespectful to the person of His Holiness Pope Francis,” the 70-year-old elected official said in a statement.
Duterte, in a nationally televised speech at rally on Monday where he and Senator Allan Peter Cayetano were declared by the Philippine Democratic Party-Fight of the Filipino People (PDP-Laban) as the official candidates for president and vice president, reportedly blamed the Pope for causing traffic jams.
The mayor, who is known for his bombastic statements and tough-guy image, emphasised his point by punctuating it with a common Filipino street expletive.
Hours after Duterte’s speech, the press, including the omnipresent social media was abuzz.
Most people took offence at the Davao City chief executive’s remarks and said his actions were uncalled for.