President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines has said he was “sorry” for calling God stupid, which has triggered public outrage in the predominantly Catholic country.
But the 73-year-old leader stressed that he was only apologising to his “all-forgiving” God and nobody else.
“If it’s the same God, I’m sorry,” he said in a meeting with religious leaders on Tuesday night. “Sorry, God.”
“I only apologise to God, nobody else,” he added. “If I wronged God, then he would be happy to listen my apology.
“Why? My God is all-forgiving. Why? He does not remember past hurts. Why? Because God created me to be good, not to be bad”
In the video of the meeting released on Wednesday, Duterte also said that critics should not use religion or the name of God to attack his administration.
Duterte called God stupid on June 22 when he questioned the logic behind the Biblical creation story of Adam and Eve.
He later said he would resign if anyone can prove to him that God exists.
