Papal Nuncio invites Duterte to his residence, Roque says

June 27, 2018

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the Vatican's representative in the Philippines, has invited President Rodrigo Duterte to his official residence during the Pope's Day on Friday, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

The invitation came following Duterte's verbal attacks against God and the Catholic Church.

"I think there's an invitation which was issued for the president to attend the eve of the Pope's Day celebration at the Papal Nuncio's residence," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised press briefing.

Roque is a member of the three-man committee tasked by Duterte to hold dialogue with various religious groups, including the Catholic Church.

The two other members are Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella and Pastor Boy Saycon of the Edsa People Power Commission.

But Roque said he was not sure if Duterte would accept the invitation.

"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," he said.

He said the invitation to Duterte was apparently forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

On the call of another religious group for Duterte to apologize for his "blasphemous" remark for calling God "stupid," Roque said the president does not need to apologize.

"The God that I know will not demand a public apology. The God I know is God of love,” he said.

Some quarters criticized Duterte for his remark against God.

Meanwhile, presidential daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, said the public should not mind her father on his interpretation of the Bible or Quoran.

"Please do not listen to him interpret the Bible or Quoran. He is not a pastor, a priest or an imam. He is a president. Listen only when he speaks about his work,” she said on her Instagram post.

“And criticize him on his work not on his 'talkkalese.' Do not waste your negative energy on his interpretation of the bible, that is his opinion,” Duterte-Carpio added.

She also said while her father is the president, he has constitutional rights.

“He is protected by the Constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression even if he is president,” she said. Celerina Monte/DMS