PHILIPPINES
Manila Times–July 12
After saying he would not apologize for his tirades against God, President Rodrigo Duterte relented and said “Sorry, God,” following a meeting with an evangelical bishop in Malacañang on Tuesday night.
Duterte met with televangelist Bro. Eduardo “Eddie” Villanueva, head of the Jesus Is Lord Church, who earlier demanded a public apology from the President for calling the God of Christianity “stupid” and for criticizing the creation story in the Bible and the doctrine of original sin.
“If it’s the same God, then I’m sorry, that’s how it is. Sorry, God. As in, sorry, God. If God is taken in a generic term by everybody listening then that’s well and good,” Duterte said in a video posted by the Presidential Communication Operations Office on its Facebook Page.
Before his apology, the President talked about the difference between his God from the God of other religions.
“I only apologize to God, nobody else. If I wronged God, then he would be happy to listen to my apology. Why? Because my God is all-forgiving. Why? Because he does not remember past hurts. Why? Because God created me to be good and not to be bad,” he said.
Duterte issued the apology just hours after he again lashed at God, saying he must have been stupid to create hell as eternal punishment for sinners.
In remarks in Pampanga earlier Tuesday, the President also took a swipe anew at church leaders who criticize him from the pulpit.
“There is a separation of power between any church and state. Do not use God on your platform of your criticism, [of]your attack because when I answer, when you drag God in this issue, son of a b***h, I will kill you,” Duterte said.
“I have tried to answer. There is a separation of powers, why are you f*****g the name of the Lord against me? So when I answer, since your forefront is the Lord, why would you get offended if I say son of a b***h,” he added.
On Monday, the Palace announced that Duterte had agreed, during a 30-minute meeting with Davao Archbishop and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines President Romulo Valles, to a moratorium on statements against the Catholic Church.
‘Don’t use God’
Explaining his supposed anti-God rhetoric to Villanueva, Duterte said he could not accept the “improper” behavior of religious leaders who use the pulpit to criticize him and his administration.
“There is a separation of church and state. Do not use God to attack government. That is not proper, and God, I’m sure that is not what God wants — things to happen,” he said.
“Never, never use the name of God as a front to attack government because that is not the proper way to do it,” the President added.
The meeting, which lasted two and a half hours, was held at the Malago Clubhouse inside the presidential complex in Manila, according to Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.
Panelo himself was present at the meeting as well as Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.
Triggered by Sister Fox
In a radio interview, Panelo said Villanueva clarified to Duterte that he had sought an apology “not to the people nor to the religion, but to God.”
The President’s lawyer said Duterte told Villanueva that he made the controversial remark because an Australian nun facing deportation, Sister Patricia Fox, was using God “in vain” and “violating the law” using religion.
Villanueva, according to Panelo, was “elated” over Duterte’s explanation. “From the body language and the remarks of Brother Eddie after their meeting, ang tingin ko (I think) he was elated. In fact, tinanong ko si (I asked) Brother Eddie, sabi niya, ‘Natutuwa ako ang ganda ng paliwanag ni Presidente at mali ang intindi. May ibang context pala’ (He said, ‘I’m very happy, the President’s explanation was good and there was a misunderstanding. There was a different context to his statement),” he said.
Panelo, in a separate statement, said Villanueva asked permission from the President for a prayer with him, and the former acceded. “While Brother Eddie was saying his prayers, the President closed his eyes, clasped his hands and bowed his head,” the President’s lawyer said.
EVANGELICALS HAPPY
The national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches welcomed the apology of President Duterte to God himself.
In an interview with the GMA News program “Balitanghali” on Wednesday, Bishop Noel Pantoja said the apology showed the President’s “humility” and willingness to listen to religious groups.
“Natutuwa ako (I am happy),” said Pantoja. “Iyan ay nagpapakita rin ng pagpapakumbaba na nakikinig din siya sa mga advice ng religious leaders (It is an act of humility that he is willing to listen to the advice of the religious leaders).”
He urged the faithful to continue praying for the President and to show him who the God of the Bible is.
“We should continue praying for him, and if we have the chance, show him the real teachings of Christianity and the Bible,” Pantoja said.
In a text message to The Manila Times on Wednesday, Pastor Gus Lising said the faithful need to accept the President’s apology.
“Let’s be thankful that God gives us second and third chances,” he said. “How many times have we said sorry to God and people, only to trip and fall? Let’s just pray for each other that we remain faithful.”
The Word Community Church, where Lising is the pastor, was one of 10 Christian churches that called on the President to apologize for his “stupid God” comment, in a joint statement sent to The Manila Times.
