Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks in Cabanatuan City, in the Philippines on Jan. 18. (Photo by Karl Norman Alonzo)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who once cursed Pope Francis for causing a traffic jam in Manila, wrote a thank you letter to the pontiff for his visit to the country in 2015.
The president expressed his "deep appreciation" of the apostolic visit, adding that the Philippines "values its special relations with the Holy See."
"Please accept, Your Holiness, the assurances of my highest esteem and respect," Duterte wrote.
Jesus Dureza, the president's peace adviser, handed the letter to the pope during an audience at the Vatican on Jan. 18.
Dureza, who is currently in Rome to attend a third round of peace talks between the government and communist rebels, said he asked Pope Francis to bless the Philippines.
Duterte made headlines for cursing the pontiff for the heavy traffic caused by his visit to the Philippines in January 2015.
His spokesmen later clarified that he did not curse the pope but the way security preparations were handled that led to the closure of some roads.
The Philippine leader later sent a letter of apology to the pontiff.
Father Jerome Secillano of the media affairs office of the bishops' conference said Duterte was only being "diplomatic" with the Vatican
"While the relationship between the local church and the government seems to be testy, the president guarantees that this won't affect the esteem he has for the pontiff and diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Vatican," said the priest.
Father Secillano said the letter assures the pope that Duterte's "tirades against priests and bishops in the country should not to be misconstrued as cutting off those special relations with the Vatican."
Several Catholic bishops have expressed doubt that the relationship between the country's church leaders and the president will improve given their differing opinions on issues such as the revival of the death penalty and the killing of suspected drug users and dealers.