MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to stop criticizing the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings – for now.
Duterte and Archbishop Romulo Valles, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, held a “one-on-one meeting” Monday to address tensions between the government and the Church.
“(Duterte) agreed to a moratorium on statements about the church after the meeting,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.
Valles noted that it was Malacañang that invited the CBCP to a dialogue with President Duterte.
“First, let me be clear about it that the invitation came from Malacañang,” Valles said. “I said yes because, as a bishop, we are open to listen to one another with respect and openness.”
In June Duterte caused public outrage after calling God “stupid.”
Just this month, he made a new controversy by saying he will resign if anybody can prove that God exists./PN
