Duterte tells CBCP head:Don't use pulpit to hit me, my policies

The article is about CBCP or Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines criticized President Duterte through a pulpit or a sermon (Deiparene, 2018). He told CBCP not to use a sermon to hit his policies (Deiparene, 2018). According to presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr., the separation of the Church and the state was mentioned by the President and hoped that the Church should not use pulpit or sermons as a way to criticized the President or the administration (Deiparene, 2018). There was a meeting held in Malacañang between President Duterte and Valles (Deiparene, 2018). The two agreed that they will not include Church in any issue to ease the tension started by Duterte’s issue when he said something about God (Deiparene, 2018). The President called God “stupid” because of the Adam and Eve story when he tempted the two to eat the apple (Deiparene, 2018). Duterte then clarified that he was just “shaking the tree” when he said that and he also promised that he will “shut up” on his issues against the Church (Deiparene, 2018). The CBCP said that they are not against to government and they actually respect the political authority as long as they don’t go against the basic spiritual and more principles of the Church like respecting for the sacredness of life, the inherent dignity of the human person, and the integrity of creation (Deiparene, 2018). The CBCP made a three-day period for fasting, prayers and almsgiving from July 17 to July 19 for those people who cursed God, said bad things about him and those people who commit murder (Deiparene, 2018).

My opinion about the article is that we cannot blame the Church for criticizing Duterte after what he said about God. It is not a way of revenge because they got mad but a way of saying the truths about Duterte. First of all, why include God in his issues? He is the one who placed himself in the criticizing area because if he just think before he speak everything will be fine, the Church will not include him in their sermons and they will not criticized him and his administration. It’s his fault after all he is the one who started it. If he wants the Church to stop including him to their pulpits and if he wants people to make acumens about him he should not say bad things most especially God. The President should know how to be careful in everything most especially he is the President of the Philippines. He should atleast show some decency because he is the superior and atleast be a good example to everyone most especially to the youth. I don’t like how he acts like as if everything he do is okay for everyone just because he is the President. Before he became the President of the Philippines, I admired his goals for the country, I admired how he wants Philippines to be auspicious and be a better country wherein he will stop the drugs and help people who became addicted to it to start a new life within 3 months but it’s already his 2nd or 3rd term and yet the problem about drugs is not yet fixed. I know it’s really impossible but the point is he expect so much from himself because he thought he can do anything, he can change everything in one snap and he can say whatever he wants if he already has the power. Well he’s wrong. It doesn’t mean that he has this power as the President he can already call God “stupid” and use the excused of he is just “shaking the tree” then promised to “shut up” (Deiparene, 2018). He should have stayed quiet at the very beginning. He should have use different example and not God because what he did is very disrespectful not only to God but to the Church also. Sorry is useless if he is not sincere about it then just repeat it.