The camp of presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte released to the media a letter from a representative of Pope Francis in response to the mayor’s apology for cursing the head of the billion-strong Roman Catholics worldwide.
The letter from Vatican was not supposed to be published to the media but due to constant attacks by some anti-Duterte on Facebook, the Duterte camp decided to reveal the truth behind letter from Pope Francis. Mayor Duterte also said during his Sunday’s campaign sorties that he wrote the Vatican to personally apologized to the Pope.
One of Mayor Duterte’s closed aid, Christopher Bong Go posted on Facebook the cover letter of the Pope’s reply, written by Italian Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu. Becciu is described in a National Catholic Reporter article as the substitute or top official for church internal affairs at the Vatican.
During an interview with the media, Davao City Bishop Romulo Valles reads the letter from the Vatican in response to Mayor Rody Duterte’s apology letter, April 4.
According to Mayor Duterte whether he win or lose in the May 2016 national election he will still visit Pope Francis personally to apologize and get the Pope’s blessings.
Here’s the Response Letter of Vatican to Mayor Duterte:
