Duterte eyes ‘complete conciliation’ with Church

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque answers question in a briefing held at Malacañang New Executive bldg, November 6, 2017. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

Malacañang on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte was working on a “complete conciliation” with the influential Catholic Church after thousands joined its prayer rally against extrajudicial killings on Sunday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that while people should be “alarmed” by the killings, they should be assured that Mr. Duterte would never tolerate extrajudicial killings in the government’s bloody war against drugs.

“I don’t think there should be a conflict… from now on. I think what I have been reading from the President himself is that he’s exerting all efforts to have complete conciliation with the Church and all religious groups,” said Roque in a press briefing.

“We’re both serving the interests of our countrymen, so I believe that it would be better that there should be common ground between the Church and our government,” Roque said.

On Sunday, thousands joined the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in its “Lord Heal our Land” activities in Quezon City after the Church ended its 40-day mourning for victims of extrajudicial killings.

A Mass was celebrated at Edsa Shrine at 3 p.m., and afterward, a short procession was held with participants carrying the image of Our Lady of Fatima, the same image brought by devotees during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution to the People Power Monument.