Manila priests burn ‘seven sins’ of Duterte family in pre-Lenten ritual

‘This is a symbol of the strong declaration of opposing the return of the Dutertes to power, along with a call for justice for all those who were victimised by Rodrigo Duterte.’

A group of Filipino Catholic priests burned palm fronds symbolising the “seven sins” of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s family, in a ritual preparing for the penitential season of Lent. 

The event – which included three Catholic priests, two Protestant ministers, and at least two dozen Duterte critics – was held at a Catholic parish in northern Metro Manila on 4 March. It derived from the tradition of burning the palms from the preceding year’s Palm Sunday to create the ashes for Ash Wednesday. 

The “seven sins” of the Dutertes include murder and corruption, the organisers said.

The former Philippines leader, accused of authorising thousands of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in his war on drugs, faces a complaint at the International Criminal Court. His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, has been impeached by the House of Representatives and is set to face trial at the Senate over alleged fund misuse.

Referring to the burning of palm fronds, Fr Flavie Villanueva SVD said: “This is a symbol of the strong declaration of opposing the return of the Dutertes to power, along with a call for justice for all those who were victimised by Rodrigo Duterte through EJKs.”

Villanueva and the two other priests at the event were among those who filed impeachment complaints against the Vice President. On the eve of Ash Wednesday, they also launched a campaign to gather one million signatures to pressure the Senate to begin her impeachment trial soon.

Fr Bong Sarabia CM, another priest who filed an impeachment complaint, criticised the Senate for the “sin of omission” because it failed to start the trial immediately. “When we don’t do what we should do, especially in preventing evil, that’s a grave sin,” he said.

A day later, at a cathedral in another part of the city, the president of the bishops’ conference included a political message in his Ash Wednesday homily.

The Bishop of Kalookan Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David reflected on the Ash Wednesday reading about performing good deeds without anyone seeing. He warned that “not all gifts are truly gifts”, as “some are simply bribes, with something expected in return”. One example is when politicians buy votes through financial assistance using public funds, he said. 

“You do not call it charity when the objective is to exploit the desperation of the poor,” David said, without naming any politician. “What will the nation gain if we put such people in power?”

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