FACT-CHECK: Pope Francis did not endorse Duterte nor supported ‘war on drugs’

CLAIM: Pope Francis admired former president Rodrigo Duterte and endorsed his administration’s drug war.

RATING: FALSE

False claims of Pope Francis’ supposed endorsement of former president Rodrigo Duterte remained on social media, potentially spreading anew with the pontiff’s passing on April 21 and the latter’s detention by the International Criminal Court.

PressOne.PH spotted a TikTok user, posting on March 31 a recycled fabricated quote that first surfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The fake quote read: “I was amazed by the fact that a politician who is aiming at the highest position could be this honest. It was a first encounter for me to see a politician being honest about his concern for his country other than kissing my hands for the sole purpose of getting the support of the majority of the Catholic population… there’s no need for an apology [sic]. I admire his honesty.”

Another version of the card was simultaneously posted by several accounts on the platform on Nov. 5-8 last year. Recent reposts began on March 26.

The quotes were framed as the pontiff’s response, allegedly “forgiving” Duterte for cursing at him for causing a traffic jam during his papal visit in 2015.

The Vatican has never published any transcript of any supposed statement made by the Pope addressing the controversial tirade.

In a news report, Duterte’s aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, said the pope had responded to the ex-president’s apology via a letter, stating that: “Holy Father offers the assurance of his prayers for you, as he invokes upon you the divine blessings of wisdom and peace.”

The Vatican has not denied nor confirmed the letter. The pope’s statements did not contain any semblance of the fabricated quotes.

As of writing, the quote card with the most engagement has garnered more than 442,000 views, 33,000 likes, 653 comments, and 1,583 shares on TikTok, while reposts have yet to gain considerable traction.

Apart from these dubious claims, there are other false narratives of the late pontiff’s alleged support of the former president’s bloody “war on drugs.”.

On Dec. 1, 2018, Pope Francis addressed 450 individuals in an international conference held in the Vatican to tackle the issues of drug abuse and addiction.

He called drugs “an open wound in society” while also asking world governments to combat illegal drug production and trade.

In his speech, Pope Francis highlighted the need for a “humanistic” approach against drug abuse, adding that such an approach must adhere to the “Gospel of Mercy” for it to be “effective in alleviating, caring for and healing the immense suffering” caused by drug addiction.

At that time, Malacañang spokesperson Salvador Panelo welcomed the pontiff’s statement, declaring that: “We consider the Vatican’s remarks as a boost in our campaign as we battle the twin evils of crimes and drugs.”

This led to a series of misinformation campaigns misrepresenting the pope, framing the statement as an apparent “blessing” to continue the controversial war on drugs.

However, no formal declaration came from the Vatican supporting such claims.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) even called out a media outlet through its official Facebook page a week later in 2018 for misleadingly reporting that Pope Francis had “joined” the drug war, citing the pontiff’s supposed statement. Hurt Allauigan

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