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A Catholic priest has urged Filipinos to deeply examine their faith following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Fr. Flavie Villanueva of the Society of the Divine Word urged Catholics to return to a Christ-centered faith rooted in discernment rather than one that condones violence.
“I appeal to everyone to return to a discerning faith,” said Villanueva, who has been providing support for families who lost loved ones in Duterte’s drug war.
He questioned how many Filipinos, particularly Catholics, had accepted extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users.
“Let us reflect on why we allowed ourselves to tolerate killings. In what part of the Bible or our faith does God permit or rejoice in killings?” he asked.
Duterte, who led a brutal anti-drug campaign that left thousands dead, remains a polarizing figure in Philippine politics.
He is expected to make his first appearance at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Friday evening as he faces charges of crimes against humanity.
Villanueva called on the faithful to critically reexamine their faith and reject any justification for violence.
“Let us continue to search deeply, seriously, and critically the faith that we are living, because what I know about real faith is that it celebrates goodness and detest all forms of evil,” he said.
Villanueva was the first Filipino to receive the Human Rights Tulip Award from the Netherlands Embassy in Manila in 2021 for his “Paghilom” Program, a support group that gives families of EJK victims a safe space to cope with grief.
