Negros bishops join chorus vs Duterte’s cuss words

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — The bishops in Negros Occidental said on Tuesday that presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was simply out of the line and had no justification for uttering cuss words against Pope Francis.

“It was simply uncouth,” said Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra.

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said he was standing behind the statement of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president that Duterte forgot the Holy Father was also a head of state.

“I find his statement insensitive to say the least. It is unbecoming of someone who aspires to be our head of state,” Alminaza said.

JV Hinlo, PDP Laban Western Visayas, said Duterte was not cussing at the Pope but at the five-hour traffic caused by the inefficient traffic handling of the government during the papal visit.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he would like to throw the ball to the electorate in picking their leader.

But Palma said anybody should think twice about being rude to the Holy Father, a head of state and certainly not an ordinary person.

“If we show respect to a leader of a nation, it is also not desirable to speak ill of the Pope,” he added.

Palma also stressed that everyone deserved to be respected — whether a pope or an ordinary person – being children of God.  SFM