Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, already notorious for having cursed the pope and world leaders such as former US President Barack Obama, has been branded evil and a psyschopath after he called God stupid and a son of a b***h in Asias largest Catholic country.
Duterte questioned in a televised speech on Friday the Biblical story of mans creation and asked why God created Adam and Eve only to allow them to succumb to temptation that destroyed their purity.
Who is this stupid God? This son of a b***h is then really stupid, said the 73-year-old leader, known for his rambling public statements. How can you rationalise a God? Do you believe?
Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV shot back Monday by describing President Rodrigo Duterte as one evil man and his remarks as very much consistent with the deceitfulness, heartlessness and ruthlessness of his policies.
A Catholic Bishop, Arturo Bastes, called the president a madman and urged Filipinos to pray for an end to Dutertes blasphemous utterances and dictatorial tendencies.
Dutertes tirade against God and the Bible reveals again that he is a psychological freak, a psychopath, an abnormal mind who should have not been elected as president of our civilised and Christian nation, Bastes said. Another bishop, Ruperto Santos, said the president had crossed a line.
In his remarks on Friday, Duterte lamented that Adam and Eves sin in Christian theology resulted in all the faithful falling from divine grace.
You were not involved but now youre stained with an original sins
What kind of a religion is that? Thats what I cant accept, very stupid proposition, he said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, said he has often backed Dutertes policies, but after the presidents utterances against God to whom I pray every single day and with whom Ive found solace and comfort in all my difficult times, I dont even have to think of my choice.
May my God forgive him and make him atone for all his sins, Lacson said.
Dutertes spokesman defended his remarks, saying the president has the right to express his opinion on religion and cited his previous disclosure that he was once sexually abused as a student by a priest.
Duterte stressed that right in another speech Monday. Why do you bind me with something very stupid? I was given my own mind by God.
Duterte shocked Filipino Catholics in 2015 when he cursed visiting Pope Francis for having triggered a monstrous traffic in Manila. He later apologised, but has repeatedly lashed out at bishops and the dominant Catholic Church, which has criticised his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.
Obama, who also raised alarm over the drug killings under Duterte, was also a target of the Philippine leaders tongue-lashing. He once said the American leader should to go to hell.
The former long-time city mayor has repeatedly declared he does not care about human rights and has threatened drug dealers and other criminals with death.
He warned he would withdraw the Philippines from the United Nations after its human rights experts called for an independent investigation into extrajudicial killings under his rule. He described the world body as hypocritical for failing to prevent genocides worldwide.