Duterte has invite to Pope's Day celebration, Saycon says

MANILA, Philippines — As President Rodrigo Duterte faces criticism over his remarks on God, Pope Francis' representative in the country has invited the president to the Pope's Day celebration on Friday, a member of the panel formed to dialogue with the Church said Wednesday. 

"The papal nuncio has invited the president...this Friday because it's what we call on the Day of the Pope," Pastor Saycon, one of the members of the three-man panel, said in a press briefing in San Juan. Saycon is not an actual pastor.

Catholics celebrate Pope's Day every June 29, the feast day of St. Peter the Apostle. Catholics believe that Peter, the leader of Jesus' apostles, was the first pope. More than 80 percent of Filipinos identify as Roman Catholic. 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said he is not sure whether Duterte would accept the invitation to the event at the Papal Nuncio's residence in Manila.

"I do not know if the schedule of the president will permit it. And I do not know if the president will ask the three of us to go to represent him. But I would check first because, apparently, the invitation was forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs, so I will call the office if there's any information on this invitation," Roque said. 

The committee formed to reach out the Catholic Church and other religious groups consists of Roque, Saycon and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella, who is an actual pastor. 

The office of Papal Nuncio Italian Archbishop Gabriele Caccia has not verified the statements of Saycon and Roque. 

'Initial talk' with clergy

Saycon said the committee would have an "initial talk" with the Catholic clergy at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines office in Manila on Thursday. The committee met with leaders of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches in San Juan on Wednesday. 

Last week, the president questioned the creation story in the Christian Bible, saying God was "stupid" for allowing temptation to destroy his perfect work.
Duterte's remarks drew a barrage of criticism from Christians who have accused him of blasphemy and disrespecting religious beliefs. 

Roque previously claimed that the president's rants against Catholicism may have stemmed from his bad experiences at the hands of an American Jesuit priest who allegedly sexually abused him when he was in high school. The priest was long dead when Duterte made the claim.

Duterte, meanwhile, claimed that his comments on God were a reaction to Australian nun Patricia Fox, who is facing possible deportation for allegedly joining partisan political activities. He also claimed that his God is "perfect" while that of his critics are "stupid"

Some religious leaders, including Jesus is Lord Church founder Eddie Villanueva, have asked Duterte to apologize for his remarks but Roque said the president does not need to. Villanueva, whose son is a member of the Senate majority bloc, had previously been otherwise supportive of the president.

"The God that I know will not demand a public apology. The God that I know is a God of love. He is too big for any words that may come from the mouth of a mortal," Roque said. 

"My God will not demand a public apology. He is a God of love, and He would wish healing for everyone," he added. — Alexis Romero, Job Manahan