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Vatican visit on 'short list' for new Philippine president

Duterte spokesman says he wants to apologize in person for offensive joke about pope
Vatican visit on 'short list' for new Philippine president

Rodrigo Duterte, the presumptive president of the Philippines, will visit the Vatican after he assumes office on June 30. (Photo by Vincent Go)

Published: May 11, 2016 10:29 AM GMT
Updated: May 11, 2016 10:33 AM GMT

The Vatican is on the "short list" of countries that Rodrigo Duterte, the presumptive president of the Philippines, will visit after he assumes office on June 30. 

"The mayor has stated in the past that because of the pope joke he would like to visit the Vatican," said Peter Lavina, Duterte's spokesman. 

Duterte drew flak after using offensive language to criticize Pope Francis for causing a traffic jam in Metro Manila during his visit to the Philippines in January 2015.

The country's Catholic bishops condemned Duterte's statement and later urged the faithful not to vote for him. 

Lavina, however, said Duterte will visit the Vatican to "apologize and pray" although he already wrote a letter of apology to the pope after the controversial statement.

"The Vatican is considered a state, so that it would be in the short list for the next administration," Lavina told reporters in Davao City.

Duterte won the Philippine presidency by a clear margin following the country's national elections on May 9.

The new president will first visit a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a tradition among Asean member states.

A state visit to the United States, China and Japan also will be "seriously considered," said Lavina.

Duterte criticized the United States and Australia for supposedly interfering in Philippine affairs after the ambassadors of the two nations criticized the mayor's remarks about a rape victim during the election campaign.

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