Ten Catholic priests led a Mass at a historic Catholic shrine to launch a movement to impeach the Philippines’ Vice President, Sara Duterte. Source: The Tablet.
Around 500 Filipinos attended the January 16 Mass for peace and justice at EDSA Shrine, packing the 300-seat church and wearing peach ribbons to symbolise support for the impeachment.
The shrine was built on the site of the bloodless revolt that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the incumbent president’s father, in 1986.
The chief celebrant, Fr Flavie Villanueva SVD, was one of the priests who filed impeachment complaints against Ms Duterte in Congress.
A former drug addict, Fr Villanueva was one of the staunchest critics of the drug war that killed thousands during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president’s father.
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel passage about Jesus healing a leper, Fr Villanueva prayed that God may eradicate and heal the country’s “leprosy”.
The homilist, Fr Angelito Cortez OFM, said impeachment was a “moral obligation” that has led many Catholic priests to take a stand. “Stay with us. Do not abandon us,” Fr Cortez appealed.
Two of the three impeachment complaints against Ms Duterte, 46, involve at least 10 Catholic priests and two religious sisters.
The push for Ms Duterte’s impeachment has come amid growing tensions between her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, her former ally. The feud has led to deeper political divisions involving religious leaders in the Philippines.
Three days before the Mass, about 1.58 million members of the Filipino Protestant Church Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) gathered at Quirino Grandstand to oppose Ms Duterte’s impeachment.
The INC, the biggest and most influential Christian denomination in the Philippines after the Catholic Church, endorsed the Marcos-Duterte ticket in the 2022 elections.
The Catholic Church, on the other hand, has long been critical of the Marcos and the Duterte families.
Catholic priests planned to increase their protests against Mr Marcos and Ms Duterte, with a massive rally at the EDSA Shrine on January 31.
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Filipino priests back vice president’s impeachment at Mass for peace (By Joseph San Mateo, The Tablet)
