MANILA, Philippines — In a speech on July 6, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said he will resign if anybody can prove that God exists.
Speaking at the opening of a science and technology event in southern Davao city, Duterte questioned some of the basic tenets of the Catholic faith, including the concept of original sin, and said that if there’s “one single witness” who can prove, perhaps with a picture or a selfie, that a human was “able to talk and to see God,” he will immediately resign.
The previous week Duterte called God “stupid” in another speech, lamenting that Adam and Eve’s sin in Christian theology resulted in all the faithful falling from divine grace.
“Who is this stupid God? This son of a b____ is then really stupid,” he said. “You were not involved but now you’re stained with an original sin. … What kind of a religion is that?”
The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic, but Duterte has a thorny relationship with the church. Duterte has said he and other students were fondled by a foreign Jesuit priest, who has since died.
Some Catholic bishops have been critical of Duterte’s brutal crackdown against illegal drugs, along with his vulgar and
expletive-laden speeches. He once called Pope Francis a “son of a b____” for sparking a monstrous traffic jam during a 2015 visit in Manila that trapped Duterte for hours. (RNS)
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