Duterte breaks promise to stop attacks on Church

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday continued to challenge the teachings of Christianity even after he pledged to a ranking Catholic prelate not to make statements about the Church.

Duterte questioned the concept of heaven and hell, saying his God never created both.

"You know my God never created hell because if he created hell he must be stupid God. My God is not stupid to create one just to burn him in hell. Hindi ako naniniwala ng ganun. I do not believe in heaven because if I do only a fraction of you in this crowd will ever enter heaven," he said in a speech in Clark, Pampanga.

The President maintained that he believes in God, whom he described as forgiving, does not use foul language, and only preaches the 10 commandments.

Duterte, born and raised as a Catholic, did not say if he was referring to the story in the Bible in which Moses received the commandments, which serve as guide to live a moral life, on two tables of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

The President previously questioned the concept of original sin, story of creation, existence of purgatory, and the Last Supper.

Duterte also reiterated that his critics should not use God to take his administration to task and his vow to resign if anybody can prove God exists through a selfie.

"Do not ever include God in your platform to attack me. You know why? "There is a separation of power between any church and state. Huwag mong isali ang Diyos mo doon sa platform of your criticism on your attack because when I answer, kapag sinali mo sa issue, sinali mo ang Diyos, p____ i__ patayin...,” he said.

"I have the right to answer. There is a separation of powers. Why are you f____ the name of the Lord against me?" 

The President's remarks came a day after he committed during the meeting with Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles that he would stop his rhetoric against the Church in an apparent attempt to ease the friction triggered by Duterte’s attacks on God and teachings of Christianity. 

Monday’s meeting will be followed by a dialogue between the four-man government panel and representatives from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

The President will also meet with representatives from the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches in Malacañang but the date is still being finalized. — RSJ, GMA News