Philippine’s controversial leader Rodrigo Duterte, who is also the country’s president, said on Tuesday that the Catholic Church is “full of sh*t”. Duterte accused the church and its priests of corruption and womanising. “I challenge the Catholic Church,” he said. “You are full of sh*t. You all smell bad, corruption and all.” Addressing a gathering of families of Special Action Forces, he said a priest had accused him when he was a student, without mentioning the charges. He also informed that three Cabinet Secretaries in the country had been molested.

Duterte called Catholic Church the “most hypocritical institution”. This is what the president said:

Duterte came to power despite warnings issued by the church. He accused the church of asking the government for a Pajero car, saying that the priests should be ashamed of their actions.“That’s so expensive and so many people have nothing to eat. Son of a b*tch, the jerks accepted it,” he added.

The president also defended his war against drugs, which has been called inhumane and a violation of human rights by other countries. Various leaders in the Philippines have accused him of perpetrating a reign of terror in the country through extrajudicial killings.