Is a calamity coming to the Philippines? The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) seem to think so.

Following the suggestion of the CBCP, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has issued an “oratio imperata”–literally, an obligatory prayer–to be recited during local masses nine days before the assumption into office of the country’s newly-elected leaders.

Among these new leaders is President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who since winning the May 9 elections has assailed and embarrassed the Catholic Church, calling it “irrelevant” and “one of the most hypocritical institutions in the country”.

Duterte, who garnered 16 million votes in the Palace race, has openly attacked bishops for supposedly asking for sports utility vehicles (SUV) during the time of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He said this made the bishops comparable to prostitutes.

Usually, in the Philippines, an oratio imperata is called for by the clergy to avert an impending calamity.

Fr. Reginald Malicdem, chancellor of the Manila archdiocese, said the oratio issued by Tagle “is to be prayed at the prayer of the faithful of all masses” from June 21 to 29.

The 71-year-old Duterte will take his oath in Malacañang on June 30. The controversial politiko is Catholic.

Roughly a week before the election, the CBCP came out with a message that was widely believed to be an attempt to sway Filipinos from voting for Duterte.

In the message, CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the voters’ desire for change “cannot take the form of supporting a candidate whose speech and actions, whose plans and projects, show scant regard for the rights of all, and who has openly declared indifference if not dislike and disregard for the church, specially her moral teachings”.

During the campaign period, Duterte flaunted alleged connections to vigilante group Davao Death Squad and admitted to having multiple girlfriends, among other things.