Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes in Radyo Veritas on April 1, 2017 (Saturday)that the Catholic Church has been consistently attacked in the...
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes in Radyo Veritas on April 1, 2017 (Saturday)that the Catholic Church has been consistently attacked in the past 2,000 years and still stand strong, thus, not even a million President rodrigo Dutertes will be able to bring it down.
Despite Duterte's constant tirades against the Church, Bastes asserts that “The Lord Jesus said to Peter that not even the gates of hell can destroy the Church. Napoleon thought he could destroy it but failed! A million of Duterte’s will never succeed in harming it. Everything will be passé but the Church will give way only to the dawning of God's Kingdom, whose image on earth is the Catholic Church."
These statements were said after Duterte claimed on March 30, 2017 (Thursday) that the Catholic Church will be "passe" or outdated 30 years from now because of the abuses of the clergy.
Duterte added that the Church, along with the media, are the "oligarchs" or elites of society.
However, other bishops claimed that the Church cannot be put down despite these criticisms.
Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles that while Duterte wishes for this misfortune to befall the Church, "Many others before wished and tried vehemently to put an end to the Church. They never succeed these two thousand years."
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David also rallied to the aid of the Church and said that attacks like Duterte's and issues of clergy abuse would only strenghten Catholicism saying that "Attacks from outside never weaken but further strengthen the church. Weakness (immorality, sensuality, infidelity, materialism) especially of its leaders enfeebles the Church but can never end it, because while the members of Christ struggle so much against human weakness Christ Himself is God."
