Duterte claims Catholic church will 'disappear in 25 years'

In the wake of sexual abuse allegations against clergymen, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has claimed that the Catholic church will "disappear in almost 25 years."

The Philippines President launched a homophobic rant against the church and asked, "When they get horny, the sons of b****es, they go after nuns. If they're gay, they go after young boys. Who needs a religion like that?"

Duterte's spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, clarified his remarks and said that they were a "healthy criticism" which referred to "certain men in the cloth that have violated their own vows," according to Sputnik.

The Philippines President's spokesperson further hoped that "it (Duterte's remarks) will help the Catholic Church cleanse itself and purge itself of those not deserving to be there."

This is not the first time that Duterte has slammed the Catholic church, having previously claimed to have been sexually abused by a church priest as a child.

A four-day summit on "The Protection of Minors in the Church" just culminated at the Vatican on February 24, where the Pope called for an end to clerical sexual abuse of minors.

Critics and survivors of clerical sexual abuse alike expressed disappointment, noting that only a few concrete plans to stop the menace in churches had been put forth during the landmark summit at the Vatican.