The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday welcomed the formation by President Rodrigo Duterte of a three-man committee to dialogue with religious organizations.

CBCP president Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles lauded the dialogue and the formation of the committee to improve relations between the Palace and religious organizations.

Church-affiliated Radio Veritas quoted Archbishop Valles as saying: “That is a most welcome development. To dialogue, to listen to one another, is always good.”

“We will start with the Catholic Church,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, referring to the dialogue the committee will hold with church leaders.

The committee formed by Duterte is composed of Roque, Pastor “Boy” Saycon and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella, himself a former pastor and Roque’s predecessor as presidential spokesman.

At a press briefing in Davao City, Roque said the President decided on Monday night to form the committee to “lessen the rift between the government and Church.”

Roque expressed belief that religious organizations, especially the Catholic Church, can always strike a common ground with President Duterte despite his controversial take on religious issues.

Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, said Duterte’s comments on religion were not aimed at God but at theologians.

On Saturday, Duterte posed the question why Adam and Eve were given the option or had to be tempted to partake of the “forbidden fruit” which ruined their being “perfect.”

In a television interview, Panelo argued the story of creation was a brainchild of theologians and not God himself.

“It’s not God who gave us the story. This theory of creation is made by writers of the Bible, not God himself,” Panelo said. “He (God) didn’t come down and tell us this is My story of your creation.”

“When he (Duterte) asked, ‘Who is this stupid God?’ he was actually referring to those who advocated or expounded on the theory of creation, and that refers to the writers of the Bible as well as the theologians,” Panelo added.

Neither was Duterte’s comment an attack on the Catholic Church, Panelo said.

“When you question one’s theory of a particular group, you do not attack, you are just questioning the logic. He needs explanation, then it’s for that religion to explain that concept,” the lawyer said.

“The President is not against the institution, he is against the immoral and hypocritical clergy,” he added.

Duterte and the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines have been at loggerheads since the election period in 2016.

Nevertheless, Panelo insisted Duterte believes in the existence of a sovereign God.

Panelo said contrary to the claim of Duterte’s critics the President “blasphemed” God, Duterte was actually doing “an act of meaningful introspection and search for truth on religious tenets.”

“The President is not blaspheming God. How can an act of meaningful introspection and search for truth in religious tenets be characterized as an act of irreverence or sacrilege?” he added.

In the book of Genesis, the first humans, Adam and Eve, committed the “original sin” of eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden after they were tempted by Satan who took the form of a serpent.