--- description: At a speech in Manila on Friday, Pope Francis called on Filipinos "to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor" title: Pope Urges End to Corruption in Philippines image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceadda7e27fdb169/69877a588e060108ea459c0f/461608174.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Pope Calls Out Philippines on Corruption and 'Scandalous' Inequality ## Video: Pope Francis: One Cannot Make Fun of Faith [Watch (HLS stream): Pope Francis: One Cannot Make Fun of Faith](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tvoLjAQI.m3u8) (0:26)  _Published 2015-01-16. Pope Francis says one cannot make fun of faith or use relifgion to do others harm on his visit to the Philippines._ by [Emily Rauhala](/author/emily-rauhala/) ## Emily Rauhala Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 16, 2015 7:11 AM CUT  Pope Francis waves to thousands of followers as he arrives at the Manila Cathedral on Jan. 16, 2015, in Manila Pope Francis waves to thousands of followers as he arrives at the Manila Cathedral on Jan. 16, 2015, in ManilaLisa Maree Williams—Getty Images by [Emily Rauhala](/author/emily-rauhala/) ## Emily Rauhala Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 16, 2015 7:11 AM CUT Pope Francis has called on the Philippine government to fulfill its pledges to crack down on the country’s rampant corruption. [Addressing](http://time.com/3671026/pope-francis-philippines-speech-manila/ "undefined") assembled dignitaries, including President Benigno Aquino, at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on Friday, the Pontiff called on “everyone, at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor.” He added that “it is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good” and asked Filipinos “to hear the voice of the poor.” Injustice and oppression, he said, had given rise to “glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities.” The Pope’s remarks will have resonance for Aquino. When he campaigned for President in 2010, he [vowed](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1982219,00.html "undefined") to fight poverty and tackle corruption and said that for too long the Philippines’ ruling elite had grown rich at the expense of the poor. The campaign message hit home in a country where about 1 in 4 lives in poverty. But while [steps in the right direction](http://world.time.com/2012/12/17/culture-wars-after-a-decade-of-debate-the-philippines-passes-reproductive-health-bill/ "undefined") have been made, official impunity and social inequality persist. Filipinos, meanwhile, are sure to be pleased by the Pontiff’s comments. The country’s vibrant civil society has fought hard for decades to improve governance and give ordinary people a better shot. Their efforts have been stymied, though, by political infighting, special interests, and sclerotic courts that often [operate](http://t.co/DqnOp7kBSq "undefined") at the behest of the wealthy and well-connected. Pope Francis is on the first day of a [highly anticipated four-day visit](http://time.com/author/emily-rauhala/ "undefined") to Asia’s most Catholic nation. During his stay, he will tour areas hit hard by Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) in 2013, and deliver Mass to what’s expected to be a millions-strong crowd in the capital. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3671080/pope-francis-philippines-corruption-poverty/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3671080/pope-francis-philippines-corruption-poverty/"},"headline":"Pope Calls Out Philippines on Corruption and 'Scandalous' Inequality","datePublished":"2015-01-16T07:11:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:38:10.931Z","description":"His remarks come on the first day of a highly anticipated four-day visit","url":"https://time.com/3671080/pope-francis-philippines-corruption-poverty/","keywords":["Pope Francis topic","poverty","corruption","Philippines","manila"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceadda7e27fdb169/69877a588e060108ea459c0f/461608174.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emily Rauhala","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/emily-rauhala/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceadda7e27fdb169/69877a588e060108ea459c0f/461608174.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pope Francis Visits Philippines - Day 2","caption":"Pope Francis Visits Philippines - Day 2","creditText":"Lisa Maree Williams—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3671080/pope-francis-philippines-corruption-poverty/","name":"Pope Calls Out Philippines on Corruption and 'Scandalous' Inequality"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Pope Francis: One Cannot Make Fun of Faith","description":"Pope Francis says one cannot make fun of faith or use relifgion to do others harm on his visit to the Philippines.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/tvoLjAQI/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-01-16T05:06:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tvoLjAQI.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3671080/pope-francis-philippines-corruption-poverty/","duration":"PT26S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3671080/pope-francis-philippines-corruption-poverty/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```