MANILA, Philippines — Continuing his verbal attacks against the Catholic Church, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that a bishop had wished for his death.

The president said this to justify his previous remarks that bishops should be killed for criticizing his administration.

"If you priests, bishops, if you can say that to me, wish me the — to die in a mass, why will I not talk? You should too. Anyway, who will believe that you will go to heaven?" Duterte said on Thursday during the unveiling of the marker of Mella Hotel in Las Piñas City.

"You're dreaming. All of us, we'll see each other in hell," he added.

Duterte also warned his critics not to use religion as a platform to attack him. The Catholic Church has been critical of his campaign against illegal drugs as it has resulted to thousands of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects.

Despite his criticisms against the Catholic Church, Duterte said he approves of Pope Francis, whom he once cursed for supposedly causing traffic during his visit to the country in 2015.

"This pope now, he's progressive. I believe in him. I salute him," the president said in Filipino.

In his proclamation event in November 2015, Duterte recalled how several roads were closed to give way for the crowds wanting to see Pope Francis.

The president drew criticism from the Catholic Church for using profanities against the pontiff. A few days after the event, Duterte apologized and denied cursing Pope Francis.

Duterte, who was then a presidential candidate, clarified that he was cursing at the government's incompetence in gandling traffic jams during the papal visit and stressed that he did not mean to disrespect the pontiff.