Rodrigo Duterte News: President-Elect Plans to Apologize to Pope Benedict for Profane Comment
On Thursday, some big news emerged regarding the rough-talking and Donald Trump-like president-elect of the Philippines, saying that Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte would like to pay Pope Benedict a visit so he can apologize for his profane remark that gained international criticism.
According to Inquirer, Duterte's spokesman Peter Lavina said, "The mayor [Duterte] repeatedly said he wants to visit the Vatican, win or lose, not only to pay homage to the pope but he really needs to explain to the pope and ask for forgiveness."
During one of his campaign speeches, Duterte, who is also called "Digong" in his hometown, recalled the time when Pope Francis visited the Philippines and the said visit caused massive traffic jams in Manila. "It took us five hours to get from the hotel to the airport. I asked who was coming. They said it was the pope. I wanted to call him: 'Pope son of a whore, go home. Don't visit anymore,'" he said.
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The 71-year-old politician's comments became a constant weapon used by some of his opponents to take him down. Catholic leaders around the country also slammed Duterte's brash-talk, but despite the questions on his morality, his popularity only increased.
Through a letter, Digong apologized to the Pope for his comments, and as expected, the Vatican responded, saying the Catholic church leader is praying for him.
It is unclear when Duterte will visit the Vatican as he will be sworn into office on June 30 but many are expecting that the rough politician will stick to his words regarding a formal apology to Pope Francis as well as his oath to try and be more careful with his words. Lavina also assured the people that Duterte's Vatican visit is a "top priority."
On Tuesday, partial results for this year's Philippine presidential elections revealed that Duterte is leading his opponents by six million votes and ahead of his presidency's official declaration, the former Davao City mayor already claimed victory.
TIME Magazine notes that Duterte's win in the country with a majority of Roman Catholics is due to his legacy on shutting down crimes as the mayor of Davao City. For over 22 years, Digong served Davao and ever since he stepped into power, the city once notorious for its rampant violence became one of the safest cities in Southeast Asia.
