MANILA - Amid indignations about a performance by a drag queen dressed as Jesus Christ with the remixed tune of Christian prayer "Ama Namin" (Our Father), the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) warned of resorting to a "lynch mob" while reminding the faithful of other blasphemous acts that are often unnoticed.

Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David acknowledged that Catholics have every reason to be offended by Pura Luka Vega's drag performance. But this offense, he said, must be borne "only for love of God and of our faith."

"Of course, we have every right to react vehemently when we feel that our dignity is being violated by those who seem to disrespect what we regard as holy—our icons, our prayers, our devotions," David said in a Facebook post on Monday.

"But isn’t our Christian discipleship about learning to take the blows the way the Nazarene himself did, hating the sin but loving the sinner, never giving up on anyone of us, suffering and dying for our redemption?"

In the now-viral video, Pura Luka Vega was seen lipsynching to the remixed tune of Our Father. The drag artist was dressed in a velvet red tunic accentuated with gold threads while wearing a long curly wig with what appeared to be a golden crown of thorns and "tres potencias" -- typical depictions used in various images of Jesus Christ.

The video ignited a flurry of debates on social media with Catholics and other Christian denominations denouncing the act while supporters of the drag performer argued it was a form of art expression.

But citing the scripture, the bishop reflected that the very same Jesus Christ that the drag queen dressed up as taught about love for enemies, doing good even to those who inflict hurt, and praying even for persecutors.

"It is good to remind ourselves that the natural tendency for people who are hurt is to assume a defensive mode and quietly transition into an offensive mode, often without their realizing it. They can turn into a lynch mob no different from that which wanted to stone a sinful woman to death," David added.

As criticisms of the drag performance often cited blasphemy, the bishop said offense against God can take many forms, including extrajudicial killings committed under the so-called "drug war" and neglect of the poor and other vulnerable members of society.

"Christ may indeed be blasphemed by people who mock his icons and his teachings," the prelate said.

"But I am sure he is blasphemed even more by people who come to Church regularly but cannot recognize his face in women and children who are abused, in victims of human trafficking, in the thousands of alleged 'drug suspects' who have been abducted, tortured and summarily executed in the last several years, in the homeless poor who live like rats in dwellings unfit for humans, in the undocumented Filipinos who literally do not count and are treated like unwanted aliens in their own country."

David has long been a critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte's violent war on drugs, which resulted in the killings of thousands of suspected drug users and peddlers.

• War on drugs: ABS-CBN research shows over 7,000 individuals killed in past 6 years
• 'Kill them': Key events on Duterte's war on drugs

Under David's leadership, the Diocese of Kalookan has implemented programs to help people who are suffering from drug addictions while providing aid to those who have lost their loved ones in the government's bloody campaign against illegal drugs.

• Pope Francis to bishop critical of Duterte: I am with you

David's reflection on Pura Luka Vega's drag performance seemed to echo that of Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas' take on the issue.

While Villegas also acknowledged the drag act as offensive, the prelate said there are matters more offensive than this.

Villegas, who served as CBCP president from 2013 to 2017, said the seeds for the controversial drag performance were planted when people merely shrugged off the vulgarity perpetuated by high leaders in the government. This, according to the archbishop, makes everyone an accomplice in blasphemy.

"The small seeds were already planted when we chose cowardly silence as God was cursed by the highest government official. We giggled and later on voted for more officials who support such vulgarity. We were in cahoots. The seeds were planted then," the archbishop said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"We call God our Father but do not treat one another as brothers and sisters? We call God our Father but nodded with approval when drug addicts were killed? Killing others made our lives safer? Is that the way to worship God as Father? They are seeds of the weeds."

While Villegas did not mention any name, it can be recalled that Duterte made headlines for cursing both God and Pope Francis.

• Duterte asks: 'Who is this stupid God?'
• Duterte under fire for cursing Pope Francis

His speeches were often injected with fiery tirades against the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines

Since the video of Pura Luka Vega's drag performance went viral, other Catholic leaders and government officials have taken turns in criticizing the act.

Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, in an interview with Church-run Radio Veritas, called the drag act a "deliberate attempt to mock and ridicule our sacred prayer" while Capiz Archbishop Victor Bendico said that the liturgical celebrations are "celebrations of the Church and not of individual persons who make fun of them to attract attention."

Meanwhile, government officials who criticized the drag performance included the country's first transgender woman lawmaker Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sen. JV Ejercito, and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a known ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, called the performance regrettable but also cautioned against the use of the incident to deny rights & protections to people based on their sexuality.

• 'Umayos kayo': Roman calls out drag performance of 'Ama Namin'
• Zubiri says 'Ama Namin' drag video 'blasphemous'; CBCP won't file complaint

Defending their drag act, Pura Luka Vega said it was not meant to disrespect anyone and that the use of Our Father was a form of "symbolism to relate the queer crowd with the intersection of queerness and religion."

In a Twitter post, the drag performer also explained that the act was their experience and expression "of having denied my rights."

• Pura Luka Vega stands by 'Ama Namin' drag performance

The Catholic Church has long been criticized for its views against the LGBTQIA+ community.

In a recent interview, Pope Francis insisted that homosexuality is a sin, as Catholic moral teaching dictates that "every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin."

However, the pontiff said homosexuality should be decriminalized.

• Pope says those criminalizing homosexuality are 'wrong'

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