President Rodrigo Duterte has written a personal letter to Pope Francis to thank him for his 2015 visit to the Philippines, according to peace adviser Jesus Dureza.
Dureza, who is in Rome for the peace talks with communist rebels, said in a Facebook post that he had with him a “personal letter” of President Duterte thanking the pope for his visit to the country.
He said he hoped to meet Pope Francis during the “bacciamano” or kissing of the hand event held during Wednesdays at the Vatican, “and possibly hand to his Holiness a personal letter of President Duterte thanking Him for the Phil. papal visit last year.”
Duterte, who has a penchant for using expletives, became controversial when he cursed at Pope Francis because of the traffic congestion caused by road closures for his 2015 visit.
READ: Duterte ‘curses’ at Pope Francis, Lacierda fires back
At that time, Duterte was still a candidate for the presidency.
He subsequently apologized, but also said what he had cursed was not the pope, but the government’s incompetence. CDG