MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday appeared to have expressed his approval for Pope Francis.

"Itong pope ngayon, progressive 'to. Diyan ako, bilib ako. Saludo talaga ako dito," he said in a speech during the unveiling of the marker of Mella Hotel in Las Piñas City.

Before he made the remark, the President blasted Church leaders who are critical against him.

"Kasi when you use religion as a platform to attack me, then do not be surprised," he said.

Duterte said, in the end, they will still meet in hell.

"Tutal, sino man maniwala na magpunta kayo ng langit?...You're dreaming. Ay lahat tayo magkita-kita sa impiyerno, kabaklaan ninyong mga p***** i** kayo," he said.

In 2015, Duterte made headlines for supposedly cursing Pope Francis for the heavy traffic, which occurred during his visit to the country.

"Pope, you son of a -----, why don't you go home," he said.

However, the President said it was not the pontiff whom he attacked, but the way the government handled security preparations that led to the closure of some roads.

Duterte has routinely attacked the Church, dubbing it as the "most hypocritical institution" and calling God "stupid" at one point.

His latest tirade against the Church came after saying that bishops, who have been critical against the government's anti-illegal drugs campaign, are better off dead.

“Itong mga obispo ninyo, patayin ninyo. Walang silbi iyang mga gagong iyan. All they do is criticize,” he said. - with report from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News