By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
She isn’t the type who would back down when challenged by a fellow politician or by a fellow lawyer. Neither would she when confronted by a man of the cloth.
Senator Miriam Defensor-
Santiago came out firing on Sunday against a Roman Catholic priest who criticized her for repeatedly scolding prosecutors over their supposed incompetence in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice
Renato Corona.
Santiago took exception to a remark by Fr. Catalino Arevalo in his homily suggesting she could be “worthy of the fires of hell,†particularly for referring to the prosecution team as gago (fool) during a trial session last week.
“The Constitution provides for a wall of
separation between
Church and State. A priest cannot violate the law in the guise of criticizing a senator-judge with the ulterior motive of promoting his own political agenda,†Santiago said in a statement.
Arevalo, a Jesuit in his 80s who is close to the family of President Aquino, quoted Matthew 5:20 in taking a swipe at the mercurial senator: “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment. And if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council. And if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the
fires of hell.â€
“I can engage in a public debate with the priest and we can exchange quotation for quotation from the Bible,†said Santiago, who holds a master’s degree at Maryhill School of Theology.
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Topic: Priest says Miriam Defensor-Santiago is worthy of the fires of hell (Read 1144 times)