Bishops give battling Arroyo vital boost

"We declare our collective decision that we won't demand her resignation," said Fernando Capalla, outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), reading from a statement.

The politically powerful Catholic Church, which played a decisive role in the ouster of presidents in 1986 and 2001, said the clergy's role was to provide moral guidance in confusing times and not be "politicians with a blueprint."

"We don't believe in intruding into politics," said the statement by the 91 senior priests.

Defying mounting calls on her to quit over allegations of election fraud, Arroyo said on Friday she had done no wrong and challenged her opponents to pursue an impeachment case.

But the bishops said Arroyo's apology, for "a lapse in judgement" in speaking to an election official while votes were being counted last year, was insufficient. They demanded the creation of an independent commission to look into the allegations of election fraud and corruption in her family.

The bishops also had harsh words for Philippine politicians in general and appealed for them to show stronger moral values.