Duterte apologizes to the public after cursing Pope Francis

Presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has issued an apology to the public after cursing Pope Francis during his speech as the standard bearer of PDP-Laban, on Monday, November 30, at the Century Park hotel.

In his speech, the tough-talking mayor revealed that it took him five hours to reach the airport due to road closures during the pontiff’s visit in the country last January.

“Sabi ko, ‘Bakit?’ Sabi sarado na [ang daan]. Sabi ko, ‘Sinong darating?’ Sabi si Pope. Gusto kong tawagan, ‘Pope, p— ina ka, umuwi ka na. ‘Wag ka nang bumisita dito,” Duterte said.

(I said ‘why?’ They said the road was closed. I said ‘Who’s coming?’ They said it’s the Pope. I wanted to call him, ‘Pope, you son of a b*tch, go home. Don’t visit us.’)

Although his remark drew laughter from his supporters in the audience, it also earned the ire of many Filipinos particularly Catholic netizens.

Watch his video.

Duterte: Taken Out of Context

Through a Facebook post made by Manny Piñol, former mayor of North Cotabato and supporter of the Presidentiable, Duterte apologized to those offended by his speech.

Piñol quoted Duterte, “I can never curse my Pope. I was cursing at incompetence. If it was taken by some in that light, I sincerely apologize. I will continue to curse so our suffering nation takes action.’’

Moreover, in an ambush radio interview, Duterte claimed that he was cursing at the way the government handled the preparations for the papal visit. He even revealed that he peed in his car after hours of being stuck in the traffic.

CBCP: Not happy with Duterte’s statement

Shortly after Duterte’s statement took the social media by storm, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) condemned Duterte for cursing the head of the Catholic Church on Tuesday, December 1.

Stating that vulgarity is corruption, CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said, “When a revered and loved and admired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidate and the audience laughs, I can only bow my head and grieve in great shame. My countrymen have gone to the dregs.”

Furthermore, the CBCP also tagged crimes such as murder and adultery as part of “a great scourge of Philippine politics.”

Featured image credits to Inquirer.