Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas has issued a scathing rebuke of the delayed impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, calling the move a “sin” and a moral affront to truth, justice, and the Constitution.
In a pastoral letter released June 9 titled “It Is Wrong! It Is a Sin!”, the senior prelate described the delay as a deliberate suppression of truth and a violation of the people’s right to justice.
“To delay the trial or even to abort it is to suppress the TRUTH. It is a sin. The opponent, the devil, is rightly called Prince of Lies,” he wrote.
Villegas’ remarks come amid growing calls to hold VP Sara accountable over allegations of confidential fund misuse. While lawyers and lawmakers debate the legal aspects, Villegas said his intervention was rooted in the moral and spiritual dimensions of the issue.
“I wish to contribute, as a priest and shepherd, to the public forum about the delayed impeachment process,” he said, adding that legal experts are already leading the discourse on constitutional grounds.
But he warned that delaying or abandoning the process has wider implications: “The nation has a right to the truth that can only be established by law and evidence. To deprive the people of the full truth is a form of robbery. It is keeping something not yours. It is a sin.”
Villegas also criticized political inaction, describing it as driven by self-interest and laziness.
“When motivated by selfish ambition and the prioritization of personal desires, gratification and comfort, the delay of the process of pursuing the TRUTH is a sin,” he said. “Not to pursue the truth when you have the capacity to know it FORTHWITH is a grave sin of omission. It is morally unacceptable.”
He defended the impeachment trial as a constitutional mandate and moral duty.
“To abort the trial even before its delayed commencement is deplorable. It is a sin against justice,” Villegas wrote. “The trial by the Senate is a positive command of the Philippine Constitution. It is a demand of justice. It must be commenced and it must continue to a just verdict.”
“The nation deserves better than such officials,” he added, criticizing procrastination and lack of public accountability.
As the country prepares to mark Independence Day, the archbishop urged Filipinos to reflect deeply: “May the Lord set us free from our own devils of lies, injustice, mediocrity and selfishness.”