The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged Filipinos to keep their courage even as the “regime of death and darkness” under President Rodrigo Duterte “seems to be enjoying its fine hour.”

In a statement on Wednesday, August 12, Filipino bishops blasted the killing of the poor, the rise of illegal drugs, the plunder of public funds, and numbness to vulgarity, among other things, as examples that “the long shadow of death is cast upon our land.”

“This is a regime of death and darkness that seems to be enjoying its fine hour,” said the CBCP, in veiled reference to Duterte’s government. “Refuse to get discouraged. Rise up to hope in the Lord.”

The statement was signed by Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Bishop Roberto Mallari, chairmen of two separate CBCP bodies related to education, and endorsed by Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, acting president of the CBCP. The president of the CBCP, Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, is on medical leave.

In their statement, Villegas and Mallari also made appeals to different sectors of society to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Philippines now has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.

To the media, the bishops appealed for courage. “Be truly independent and fearless. Follow the truth wherever it may lead,” they said.

The bishops also called on government leaders “to be more open to the new scientific insights and global experiences” related to COVID-19, “even if these may challenge one’s belief systems and preferred approaches to managing the epidemic.”

“Let us learn from the success stories of our ASEAN neighbors with political humility and collective honesty,” they said.

The CBCP also called for a prayer campaign against the coronavirus pandemic, asking Catholics to recite 10 Hail Mary prayers at noon daily, “starting August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption, until September 15, Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.”

The Catholic Church is one of Duterte’s staunchest critics in a country where 8 out of 10 people profess to be Catholic. Duterte, in turn, has attacked Catholic bishops including Villegas and David in his speeches. The two bishops have also received anonymous death threats. – Rappler.com