Responding to widespread criticisms that it was improper for the Roman Catholic Church in Montreal to provide a venue for the birthday celebration of the unlamented detained ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, church authorities obliged and scrapped the Mar. 28 event. The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Quebec Chapter (ICHRP-Québec) wrote to church leaders that the affair was aimed at showing support for Duterte following his recent arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC.)
Duterte is currently facing serious charges of crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial executions, rapes and deaths of 30,000 people — mostly poor, marginalized and young, including 122 children. Among the victims are clergy members and church workers who denounced the violence. “While fully recognizing the right of individuals and groups to assemble and express their political views, holding such an event in a sacred place—within a Catholic Church—seems deeply disturbing to us, given the heavy liability of Duterte on human rights violations and public contempt for the Church,” ICHRP-Quebec stressed.
“Allowing the Catholic Church to be used both to celebrate a person facing such serious accusations — and who has repeatedly expressed contempt for the Church — and to oppose the ICC proceedings could be perceived as contrary to the moral position of the Church.” During his tenure, Duterte publicly blasphemed God, insulted Pope Francis and slandered priests and nuns — things widely denounced by Church officials in the Philippines and elsewhere. “We have been confirmed that the venue reservation was made in good faith without complete knowledge of the nature and purpose of the event. Once concerns were raised and the context clarified, the Montreal Church authorities acted quickly and responsibly to cancel the event,” ICHRP-Quebec said.
The decision is in accordance with the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which welcomed the arrest of Duterte as “an important step towards justice and empowerment,” saying “those who abuse power and despise human life must answer to the people and to God.” The position is also shared by the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF), an alliance of bishops of five major churches in the Philippines, which has long condemned the human rights violations committed under the Duterte administration. “We applaud this act of discernment, moral clarity and responsibility on the part of the Church. It reflects the prophetic mission of the Church and its commitment to evangelical values of truth, justice, and solidarity with the poor and the oppressed. Through this decision, the Church reaffirms its commitment to the dignity of human life and the importance of accountability in the face of state violence,” ICHRP-Quebec added.
This is a powerful reminder that sacred places must never serve to legitimize impunity or to smear the image of people accused — in a credible manner — of serious human rights violations. Churches are places of prayer, healing, and truth. They must remain safe spaces for victims and prophetic voices. We hope this gesture will serve as an example and a call to churches, religious institutions and community organizations to act with courage, integrity and loyalty to their mission in the face of the rise of authoritarianism and the erasure of truth and justice, Guy-Lin Beaudoin and Jess Agustin wrote on behalf of ICHRP-Quebec.
Duterte partisans backed by the cult of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, who is himself detained at the Pasig City Jail on charges of child trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation of minors and is also wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have organized a protest in The Netherlands to coincide with the 80th birthday of Duterte on Mar. 28. In the Philippines, the families of the 30,000 victims of Duterte’s war on drugs also mobilized to demand that Duterte be clapped at the Scheveningen prison and his plea for interim release be junked. He is not only flight risk, they said, but is also capable of systematically harassing, coercing and even kidnapping the complainants in the case of crime against humanity lodged against him.
Human rights organizations like Karapatan have denounced the arguments raised against the arrest of Duterte, noting that in November 2024, he mocked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest him before he dies. The ICC also gave the Marcos Jr. administration ample time to pursue the investigation of Duterte and the filing of criminal charges against him but the government balked, forcing the ICC to issue a warrant of arrest against Duterte. Now, Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio is arguing that his father was “kidnapped” and denied “due process,” the same vacuous issues raised by Bong Go, Duterte’s valet and now a senator seeking reelection. The same matters were raised by Salvador Medialdea, who acted as Duterte’s counsel in his first hearing before the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC.
The Duterte camp has also unleashed an ocean of lies via its troll army, threatening the complainants and their counsel, the assistant to counsel Atty. Kristina Conti, and tagging the arrest of the autocratic Duterte as a violation of his human rights, as if he respected the human rights of his 30,000 victims, gave them due process and convicted them before being shot. Advocates have also urged the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the ICC to include in the formal charges the cohorts of Duterte like Sens. Bong Go and Bato de la Rosa as well as Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio, who was Davao City mayor when killings by the dreaded Duterte Death Squad (DDS) worsened. (DIEGO MORRA)
