section_path: Personal life/Religion
section_name: Religion
paragraph_text: Religion
  
  Despite being raised as a communicant of the Catholic Church, on January 19, 2016, Duterte clarified that he had not attended Mass for quite some time already since he deemed it incompatible with his mayoral responsibilities: "If I listened to the Ten Commandments or to the priests," said Duterte, "I would not be able to do anything as a mayor." Duterte has described himself as Christian in 2016 and " spiritual " in 2018, expressing that he "can't accept" Catholicism or organized religion but also that he is neither an atheist nor an agnostic. He has referred to God as Allah and has been quoted as saying: "a part of me which is Islam ".
  
  During his presidency, Duterte and the Catholic Church in the Philippines exchanged frequent criticisms. In response to the rising death toll in Duterte's war on drugs, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in February 2017 issued a strongly worded pastoral letter which was read in church services; the letter highlighted that " is considered as normal", and "to consent and keep silent in front of evil is to be an accomplice to it". Duterte later lambasted Catholic bishops, telling them "not use the pulpit ", reviling them as "sons of bitches", remarking that some of them are gay, and urging street bums to rob and kill them. Notable among the bishops Duterte criticized was Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, a vocal critic of the Duterte administration's war on drugs. Duterte accused David of being involved in illegal drugs and stealing church donations, after which the CBCP came to David's defense and vouched for his integrity. Citing continued criticism from Catholic bishops, Duterte's verbal attacks on the Catholic Church escalated in mid-2018 to early 2019, during which he challenged the Catholic Church to show evidence of the existence of God, while expressing his belief in "one Supreme God" and "a universal mind somewhere which controls the universe". In one of his harshest vitriol in June 2018, he remarked that God was "stupid" for permitting the serpent to tempt Eve in the creation story in the Bible; though the controversial statement was later clarified by his spokesperson as Duterte's "personal opinion", it contributed to Duterte's quarterly approval rating dipping to its lowest at 45%. Efforts by the Church to rally public support against the administration's war on drugs, however, were less effective due to Duterte's domestic popularity and high trust ratings.
  
  Duterte considers his close friend, pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC), as his spiritual adviser. Duterte would become estate administrator of the properties KJC in March 2024, following Senate inquiries launched against the church and Quiboloy.
  
  In his post-presidency in January 2024, Duterte visited the wake of CBCP president Fernando Capalla in Davao Cathedral, during which he stated he attends Masses thrice every Sunday; he further added "I am a very holy man. I'm a whole human being now".