Duterte to Cardinal Tagle: When did I threaten you?

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday scoffed at insinuations that he was a bully after Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle at the start of the Simbang Gabi criticized one's use of authority to intimidate others.

Tagle, in a homily during the first Simbang Gabi at the Manila Cathedral on Sunday, a lofty office did not give a person the right to "trample others." He also called bullies "fearful and insecure."

Malacañang has said that not think Duterte was being alluded to in the homily even as the President has been known for his harsh rhetoric against critics including some members of the Catholic hierarchy.

"This Bishop Tagle. They say I should not threaten him. When did I threaten you?" Duterte said in a speech in Cebuano during a summit on good governance in Davao City.

"Because of the separation of church and state we will never come to an understanding. We will never come to terms. The government has no God."

Duterte also scored clergymen for using the pulpit to attack a person.

"They keep on criticizing me. They say I am a bully," he said.

Some priests and bishops are critical of Duterte's war on drugs which has already killed at least 5,050 drug suspects since assuming office in June 2016.

The President earlier wished death for "useless" bishops critical of his governance. The Palace, however, downplayed the remark as hyperbole. —NB, GMA News