Church official’s wish list: An ‘inspiring’ and ‘polite’ president

AN official of the Archdiocese of Cebu has three wishes for President Rodrigo Duterte on his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) today, July 23.

Although the Archdiocese of Cebu has not issued an official statement for the President’s Sona, Msgr. Joseph Tan, the diocesan media liaison officer, said he prays for the President to do things that would ignite inspiration among the Filipinos.

“[First], I hope that he [President Duterte] will be able to inspire the Filipinos towards greatness and national pride as father of the nation,” Tan said.

“[Second], I pray that he will be polite in tone to everyone as leader of the country. And lastly, I expect for him to address the status of the drug problem situation in the country as he defends the future of the country,” he added.

In June, President Duterte’s calling God “stupid” drew flak among the Catholic faithful.

However, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) later on called on the public to pray fervently for the President instead of slamming him for his pronouncements.

Although the President did not issue an apology for his statement, he formed a four-member committee tasked to engage in a dialogue with the Catholic Church and other religious leaders in the country.