MANILA, Philippines — A retired bishop on Thursday stressed that President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial statements, particularly harsh tirades against Catholic clergy, may influence his supporters to commit crimes against priests.

“Ikaw ang president, ang mga tao baka madala mo sa iyong pananalita at hindi mo nalalaman na may ilang panatiko o siraulo na baka tuparin ang sinasabi ng president. At nakikita na natin ngayon, ‘yan ang nangyayari kay Bishop [Pablo Virgilio] David na talagang pinutakte ng threats sa kanyang buhay,” Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. said in an interview on Radio Veritas.

(You are the president. Your words may influence the people and some fanatics or crazy people may do what the president is saying. And we are seeing that right now, that’s what’s happening to Bishop [Pablo Virgilio] David who received threats against his life.)

The statement of the retired bishop came after Caloocan Bishop David confirmed receiving death threats. David has been on the receiving end of the chief executive’s tirades.

Bacani also said that Duterte may have committed incitement to murder and robbery when he earlier suggested that bystanders should kill and steal from bishops, whom he called useless.

“Kung seryoso ‘yan ay masama dahil ‘yan ay inciting to murder and to robbery at dapat panagutan niya iyan,” he said.

(If his remark is serious, that is bad because that is inciting to murder and to robbery. And he should take responsibility for that.)

But Bacani said that there is a possibility that the chief executive is losing his mind or that he is only joking.

“I cannot take that away at sapagkat siya na rin ang nagsabi na nagpe-fentanyl siya ay baka naman naapektuhan na ang kaniyang isip. Kung ganun, hindi na siguro siya dapat maging presidente,” he said.

(I cannot take that away because he himself said that he is using fentanyl. It might be affecting his mind. If that’s the case, he should not be the president.)

The Catholic Church, its priests and its beliefs have been a constant target in the president ’s speeches but the Palace has repeatedly explained these away as jokes or Duterte’s way to criticize hypocrites in the clergy.

On Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Panelo said David’s claims of death threats should be investigated as they might just be fabricated.

In the same statement, the presidential spokesman—insisting that Duterte’s tirades against the church were made “in jest”—claimed that critics have been manipulating the chief executive’s pronouncements to confuse the public.

Church leaders condemn Duterte’s threats vs clerics

The Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum, a fellowship of church leaders from various religious groups, called out Duterte and the military for their efforts to stifle dissenters from different sectors, depicting them as criminals and terrorists.

“Conducive and safe space where dissenters can seek redress is drastically shrinking. Threats to the life and security of Catholic Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, a staunch defender of the innocent victims of President Duterte’s war on drugs, is neither isolated nor can the present administration merely wash its hands off its accountability from this,” EBF said in a statement.

The group of church leaders stressed that Duterte should be blamed if bishop or any other clergymen suffer from deadly attacks.

“Like a modern-day Pontius Pilate, President Duterte washes his hands to disclaim responsibility to the lurking danger over the bishop’s life. We suspect that President Duterte’s real intention is to protect himself from any accountability should evil befalls the bishop,” EBF said.

It added: “But much as he tries to appear guilt-free under the pretense of taking back his threats, he only makes a fool of himself. When he foul-mouthed the bishops, he had knowingly sent dangers and threatened them to death.” — Gaea Katreena Cabico