“We join the Catholic bishops and faithful in condemning the murder of Catholic priests, namely, Fr. The clergymen urged on President Rodrigo Duterte to stop what they called “verbal persecution of the Catholic Church,” stressing that such attacks feed violence against priests. The president’s mouthpiece, moreover, claimed that the spate of killings of priests was a way of “lawless elements” to discredit the administration’s efforts. He earlier stressed that the attacks of President Rodrigo Duterte against the Church have nothing to do with the killings of priests. In several speeches, Duterte lambasted the Catholic Church, accusing priests of engaging in corruption and questioning their teachings.

Source: Philippine Star June 13, 2018 03:11 UTC