Duterte: Allow priests to marry ‘only solution’ to address cases of sexual abuse
Credit to Author: RALPH VILLANUEVA| Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:46:25 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said the “only solution” to address the cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church would be to allow priests to marry.
Duterte’s statement came a few days after the Vatican called for a summit to address the issue of sexual abuse among Catholic priests.
In a speech during the distribution of grants to unconditional cash transfer beneficiaries at the Cebu Technological University Gymnasium in Cebu City, Duterte said the priests should not be celibate anymore to stop the abuses.
“Priests should be allowed to marry. That’s the only solution there. Even the gay ones, allow them to marry, same sex marriage. I am in favor of that so the problem is over,” he said.
Duterte once again raised the issue of the slain priest, Fr. Mark Ventura, who was killed after a Sunday Mass in Cagayan last April 29.
He said that the priest was killed because of his links to a number of illicit affairs.
“It was because they had women. So I was forced to reveal that. And the women were the wives of firemen and those from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation). So you will really die. One was also the wife of a businessman. There was a good looking priest who was killed in church,” Duterte said.
Duterte also said that he was in favor of same sex marriage.
“We are not fooling around here because I — I have two brothers-in-law who are gay. They are mestizos. But I am not ashamed to tell the world that the brothers of my — are gay,” Duterte said.
“Allow them to marry. Same sex, sure. Live together. The Catholics… The Muslims can only have four. The Catholics can have up to three wives. I’ll add more for us because there are those who have not been married yet,” he said.
He also slammed the Catholic Church for opposing birth control pills.
“They are scared of the Church. That is my biggest worry about the Catholic Church. We are now 110 [million] Filipinos. Our lands, plants, cash crop in Mindanao, bananas, pineapples, the — our mango industry is good. It’s all for export. It generates income. Foreigners and the rich own most of the factories. The poor people become agricultural workers. That is the problem that I see with the Catholics. They refuse to accept pills,” Duterte said.
“But they would just keep on… We can’t address that because that’s biology. It can’t be controlled by religion. That’s biology. Mating cannot be prevented. You see how dogs do it anywhere. How much more for humans?” he added.
In a speech last January, Duterte said priests should be allowed to have relationships.
He said, however, that the problem was no one may believe them anymore.
“So, I am not… I am just telling you bishops, you sons of b—hes. You… It is true. Almost all of them are gay. Look at it. I do not have anything bad for gays. My roommate in my dormitory before was gay,” he said.
“The gay [priests]… They should come out in the open, cancel celibacy, and allow them to have boyfriends also. The problem is, who will believe you?” he added.
Duterte said that he was a victim of sexual abuse as well.
He claimed that a priest inappropriately touched him and other students during the sacrament of confession.
He also almost routinely slams the Catholic Church and its teachings.
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