Duterte and Rising Attacks Against the Catholic Church in the Philippines

Extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses in the Philippines are commonly talked about by outside observers and international media. However, less attention has been payed to how these issues affect church leaders, which remain a powerful group in one of the world’s largest Catholic countries.

Recent developments have shed more light on the issue. A Catholic priest was gunned down in December 2017 after facilitating the release of a political prisoner. Four months later, an anti-mining priest was assassinated after celebrating a Sunday mass inside his church. Meanwhile, an Australian Catholic nun who had been in the country for 27 years was ordered by immigration authorities to leave in 30 days for allegedly participating in partisan political activities.

There is no evidence linking state troops to the killings, but these gruesome attacks are taking place at a time when impunity has worsened under the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

For the National Secretariat for Social Action – Justice and Peace, also known as Caritas Philippines (the advocacy arm of  the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines), the brutal killing of the priest last December was an attack on the Church and its mission for social justice and empowerment of the poor.

“It slowly creates social awareness among Filipinos that no one who is working for social development in the community level is safe anymore in the present socio-political situation in the country,” the group said in a public statement.

The killing of another priest in April has bolstered fears that government supporters are bent on silencing the critics of the president’s unpopular policies and programs.

Church leaders have consistently denounced the rise of extrajudicial killings under Duterte, continuing rampant corruption in the bureaucracy, the persistence of social injustice, and the undermining of civil liberties and judicial independence.

Duterte has been largely silent about the killing of priests, but he publicly admitted that he ordered the probe of a Catholic nun for engaging in political activities. He accused the foreign nun of violating the country’s laws for criticizing his government.

Duterte was quickly reminded by religious groups that part of the nun’s missionary work involved spending time with farmers and indigenous peoples in remote regions where troops are currently deployed to guard mining sites and agricultural plantations. But Duterte would not hear any of this as he continued to support the nun’s deportation.

What could be the motive for the killing of priests? And what is Duterte’s real intent in singling out a Catholic nun for deportation?

The Catholic Church is an influential voice in a country with a predominantly Catholic population. It played a leading role in two People Power uprisings, which toppled a dictator in 1986 and a corrupt president in 2001. It remains a strong and persuasive force that has an extensive presence at the grassroots level. If there is an institution that can effectively speak on behalf of the dispossessed and oppressed, it is the Catholic Church.

As a veteran politician, Duterte is probably aware that the Catholic Church can undermine his presidency if it decides to challenge some of his programs like the bloody war on drugs and even his endorsement to the controversial removal of the incumbent chief justice.

It was a Catholic leader, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who spoke about a “crisis of truth” when the chief justice was removed from office.

“The crisis of truth has sown seeds of suspicion, mistrust and fragmentation. Partisan politics has turned into political ‘tribalization.’ The common good is one of the first casualties,” said Tagle.

Some bishops are now speaking about bankrupt moral leadership in the country and they warned that Duterte is preparing to impose a dictatorial government.

If the attacks and killings of priests continue, it could inspire more church leaders to combine their spiritual activities and support to the people’s clamor for justice.

In other words, Duterte is risking his presidency by provoking the wrath of holy men and women across the country.