Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte publicly called God a stupid “son of a b****,” prompting a Catholic bishop and other officials to openly rebuke him.
Duterte, president of the most Catholic country in Asia, insulted God in a Friday speech in criticism of the creation story depicted in the book of Genesis, saying God was stupid to allow man to sin and ruin what God had intended to be perfect, according to The Associated Press. Opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Bishop Arturo Bastes lambasted Duterte in response, with Trillantes calling him “one evil man” and Bastes calling him a “mad man.” (RELATED: Duterte: I Personally Ordered Nun’s Arrest)
“Adam ate [the apple], then malice was born. Who is this stupid God? This son of a bitch is stupid if that’s the case,” Duterte said, according to UCA News.
“You created something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work,” Duterte added. “It’s something that your mother and father did, you were not part of it, then you have original sin. What kind of religion is that? I can’t accept it.”
Duterte went on to say that he did not believe in the human incarnation of God, essentially declaring that he did not believe in the divinity of Christ despite his childhood baptism as a Catholic. He declared instead that he believes in a “universal mind” and that he has “a faith” but does not believe in religion.
Trillantes lashed out at Duterte on Monday, saying that his comments were “very much consistent with the deceitfulness, heartlessness and ruthlessness of his policies,” according to the AP.
“It is the height of arrogance of power not only to disrespect and spit on an individual’s faith but also to act as though he is God,” he added, according to UCA News.
Bastes, bishop of Sorsogon, condemned Duterte as “a psychological freak, a psychopath [with] an abnormal mind.”
“I share with the feelings and thoughts with these concerned fellow Filipinos,” he said in reference to public outrage over Duterte’s comments. Bastes urged Filipinos to “fervently pray to the Lord that such blasphemous utterances and dictatorial tendencies of this mad man will cease.”
Even allies of Duterte like Sen. Panfilo Lacson criticized Duterte.
“May my God forgive him and make him atone for all his sins,” Lacson said of Duterte, according to UCA News. “Between him and my God to whom I pray every single day and with whom I’ve found solace and comfort in all my difficult times, I don’t even have to think of my choice.”
Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, defended Duterte’s comments, saying that the Filipino president was entitled to his personal religious beliefs and had simply expressed them.
“That is the personal belief of our president. Our president has a personal spirituality and it’s up to him,” Roque said, according to UCA News.
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