The Filipino Church lacks experiences in local martyrdom and persecution
Filipino Catholics rally against death penalty and war on drugs espoused by the Duterte Admnistration. (Image from http://www.dnaindia.com)
It is no secret that the Filipino Catholic Church has been into a few bullshits over the past few years, with scandals such as sexual abuse by its clergy, opulent lifestyles of its members as opposite to the lives of Jesus, the Apostles, and the saints, and interference in political matters, which get the goat and the blood pressure high of all the supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Filipino Catholic Church is comfortable, safe and secured unlike their fellow Christians and co-religionists in parts of Asia and Africa where Islamic fundamentalists live and burn churches and Bibles like it’s a party.
Execution of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by republican militiamen during the Red Terror in Spain (Image from https://www.actuall.com)
They have not experienced the hardships faced by their brothers and sisters in faith in Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe, Spain (during the Red Terror of the Spanish Civil War), Mexico (during the persecution that led to the Cristero War), Indonesia, China, Northern Africa, Nigeria (in areas where Boko Haram carry out terrorist activities), Pakistan, India (Hindu fanatics are as wild as the Islamists), Nazi Germany, Turkey (where priests are arrested for baptizing people), and Russia (where many Orthodox Christians are hostile towards Roman and Eastern Rite Catholics).
The Catholic Church in the Philippines has not tasted death that other Catholics and Christians had suffered in the hands of Communists, Islamists, atheists, and even fellow Christians (the St. Bartholomew Massacre, the Ku Klux Klan, etc).
Lynched Catholic victims of the Cristero War in Mexico (Image from https://eccechristianus.wordpress.com)
The Filipino Catholic Church has been soft and indecisive at times. Perhaps it takes a religious persecution to toughen them up and strengthen their faith like persecutions did to the martyrs of England and Wales, Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Uganda, and Algeria.
It is time that the Filipino Catholic Church create martyrs right at home. Lorenzo Ruiz was executed in Japan and Pedro Calungsod was killed in Guam.
Why not start in Davao City, the home of President Duterte?
Will we be seeing priests executed or beheaded in Rizal Park?
Will we be seeing nuns and women church workers sexually assaulted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), just like the Communists did in Eastern Europe and the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq?
Will we be seeing the supporters of President Duterte dragging priests out of their churches, torching churches and religious articles, and putting priests – and God – in trial at the Congress or Supreme Court?
Will we be seeing the Duterte Administration confiscating churches and monasteries and nationalizing church-owned schools, hospitals, and orphanages?
Will we be seeing Duterte supporters celebrating while watching church burn down to the ground like the Islamists do in Pakistan?
I can sense that the supporters of Duterte, popularly known as Dutertetards or Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS), are ready to put blood in their own hands. By their social media posts, I can say that they are ready to kill priests and nuns with their own hands in more brutal ways than the atheistic communist, terrorists, and anti-Christian governments did in history.
Public execution of priests and civilians in Nazi-occupied Poland. Duterte supporters would love to kill priests, should they be given the chance. (Image from Wikipedia Commons)
They are ready to be more bloodthirsty. Duterte supporters are ready to kill, rape and pillage the Church once they get tired of attacking it on social media.
If the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos can get priests and laymen, activists and indigenous people killed, how much more with President Duterte?
It all takes a signal from Duterte himself so they can initiate a bloodier and more brutal persecution of the Church in ways that will make the persecutors of Christianity, from Emperor Nero to Osama bin Laden, proud and welcome them wherever they are now in the afterlife.
Will we be seeing any of these soon? When shall we expect Duterte supporters to start physically attacking the Church?
That is, if Duterte supporters have the balls.
As said, it all takes a go-signal from Duterte. However, he has no balls yet, in the deeper sense.
Persecution will only take place once Duterte has the balls. He should have the balls first, and then the supporters will have balls.
Follow the leader, that is.
If you can analyze at Duterte’s “stupid God” remarks and tirades against the Catholic Church from all angles, then you will know what I mean.
Writing Under The Shades of Blue 