By Azer Parrocha/PNA
MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday thanked Quiapo Church rector Monsignor Hernando Coronel for urging devotees of the Black Nazarene to pray for the country’s leaders, including President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“Salamat naman. Dapat naman talaga ipagdasal. Kahit ako pinagdarasal ko sila. (Thank you. They should really pray for the President. Even I pray for them),” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
Panelo made this remark as some 21 million devotees are expected to attend the Traslacion or the procession of the Black Nazarene from the Quirino Grandstand to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo on Wednesday.
He emphasized that Church leaders should encourage everyone to pray for the President because his failure means the failure of all Filipinos.
“Why am I saying that they should be praying for the President? We are all parts of one whole. The failure of this President will be the failure of all of us,” Panelo said.
“We really have to pray na mag-succeed ang presidency dahil tayong lahat ay makikinabang. Kung mabigo man siya, bigo tayong lahat (We have to pray for the success of the presidency because we will all benefit from it. If he fails, we all fail). So we really have to pray for each other,” he added.
The Quiapo Church rector urged the public to pray for the President despite the latter’s continuous tirades against the Catholic Church and its beliefs.
Panelo, however, said that the President is simply in for an “intellectual discourse” by questioning the validity of certain doctrines in the religion.
