Cubao priest feels Duterte persecuting Church

MANILA, Philippines — A priest from Cubao yesterday said he feels that President Duterte is persecuting the local Catholic Church.

Fr. Aris Sison, of the Diocese of Cubao, told “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News that he believes that the Catholic Church is experiencing religious persecution from the President.

When asked if he feels that the manner of Duterte’s treatment of the Catholic Church could be considered as “religious persecution,” Sison said, “In a way, yes. In a way, yes, we are being persecuted.”

Since Duterte became president in 2016, he has been hitting at priests, prelates, Pope Francis and Catholic Church doctrine and made verbal attacks against bishops such as Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David. 

“I think he just wants to keep on attacking us. I don’t know why. He just keeps on doing it. I don’t see any logic. It does not seem preceded by anything specific. He just keeps on attacking the Catholic Church. I have not seen him attacking other churches,” said Sison, the parish priest of the St. John Paul II Parish in Quezon City.

But he said that even if the church leaders are continuously being attacked for speaking on moral-related issues such as extrajudicial killings and upholding the rights of women, it is during these times that martyrs are born. 

“The Church thrives in persecution. It is when we have martyrs that the Church grows. This is nothing that we are afraid of… When we are persecuted then thanks be to God – that means we are doing what Christ wants us to do,” Sison added.

Villegas, David and at least three priests have reportedly received death threats.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Supt. Bernard Banac gave assurance that they are ready to provide protection to church leaders and church workers who are receiving death threats.

When asked if the President would become a person of interest if something would happen to Bishop David, the PNP official said, “We will look at this very seriously, of course we need to have a connection if ever there would be a threat on the lives of our priests. We need to have a strong connection, validate the threat and if it is really coming from the statement of the President, we have to look at it very seriously.”