Manila bishop wants ‘bad spirits’ driven out of Malacañang

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“Bad spirits” have been lingering in Malacanang, and prayers should be used as a weapon to drive them out.

This was the statement of Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo before the faithful on Monday as they gathered at Quiapo Church to express sorrow over the recent killings of clergymen across the country.

“The evil spirits at Malacanang will only be driven away through the prayers of the faithful,” Pabillo said in Filipino during his homily at the Mass.

“We can show our faith when we combine our prayers with penance. That’s how serious we are in praying and fasting,” the bishop stressed.

Pabillio made the remarks as he castigated the killings of priests, the push to revive the death penalty, the burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, martial law declaration in Mindanao, the ouster of the country’s chief justice, and the drug war deaths under the Duterte administration.

However, in an ambush interview after the mass, Pabillo clarified that he was not directly referring to Duterte as the “evil spirits.”

“I was only referring to evil spirits,” the bishop told reporters when asked for a clarification. /atm