Philippines government says church 'out of touch' in attacking drugs war

Filipino churchgoers pray in front of an altar after Rev. F. Carlos Ronquillo (not in photo), a Rector Superior of the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, talked about a pastoral letter from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) about the drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte during a mass at the Redemptorist church in Paranaque city, metro Manila, Philippines February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine government derided Catholic bishops on Sunday as "out of touch" after they used weekend sermons to attack a war on drugs they said had created a "reign of terror" for the poor.

Members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had dramatized President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign and, instead of criticizing, should focus on contributing to the "reign of peace" that innocent people now felt, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.