MANILA, Philippines – Bishops in the Philippines condemned violence and called for sobriety after a shooting incident rocked the Senate and heightened political tensions in the country.

The May 13 shooting incident erupted while Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a key ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, took refuge in the Senate building to evade arrest. Dela Rosa, 64, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity in Duterte’s war on drugs.

The shooting happened hours after Dela Rosa warned he was about to be arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcers. The Senate sergeant-at-arms fired at least 27 gunshots while the NBI fired five. The incident injured no one, and critics alleged it was staged to gain sympathy for Duterte allies at the Senate.

It triggered panic, however, within the Senate building and in a country facing its worst political crisis in years.

The incident came two days after the 318-member House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte. This meant that the House was sending her for an impeachment trial at the 24-member Senate — a months-long process that could remove her from public office and prohibit her from running for another post, including the presidency, in the future.

On top of Duterte’s impeachment trial, the ICC’s order to arrest Dela Rosa even complicated the political drama. Dela Rosa, who was the chief architect of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, eventually fled the Senate building hours after the shooting incident.

Reacting to the turmoil, church leaders urged the public not to give in to panic.

The head of the country’s biggest archdiocese, Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy, noted that “these are delicate and emotionally difficult times for our country, and many of our people are becoming anxious and divided.”

“I humbly appeal to everyone to remain calm, prayerful, and respectful. Let us not allow anger, hatred, or violence to overcome us. Instead, may we seek dialogue, wisdom, and what is truly good for our nation,” the 59-year-old Uy said in a statement.

Kidapawan Bishop Colin Bagaforo, convenor of the Interreligious Leaders’ Council for National Transformation, called on Filipinos to “remain calm, discerning, and prayerful.”

Bagaforo, 72, appealed to national leaders “to rise above personal and partisan interests so that the welfare of the nation may prevail above all else.”

“There must likewise be no place for violence, intimidation, mob action, or anarchy in a democratic society,” said Bagaforo.

“Respect for the rule of law and our democratic institutions must prevail at all times. Political disagreements must be resolved through constitutional and lawful means, never through threats, disorder, or coercion,” he added.

The bishop also urged the Senate to continue fulfilling its constitutional duties, including proceeding with the impeachment trial of Duterte. Regarding Dela Rosa, he asked the judiciary “to act with prudence, fairness, and urgency in resolving the legal issues” surrounding the senator, who was former president Duterte’s police chief.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, in a separate statement, criticized the Senate for another recent move — changing its leadership ahead of Duterte’s impeachment trial and in the face of the ICC warrant on Dela Rosa. The new Senate president, Alan Peter Cayetano, is a known Duterte ally.

Villegas, 65, said the Senate leadership change “was not for the country but for ‘somebody.’”

“It is obscene. It is unbelievable that men and women called ‘honorable’ could do such a brazen exercise of power. The Senate is now used as a shield for a suspect-at-large with a valid warrant of arrest from a lawful court,” said Villegas, the former private secretary of Cardinal Jaime Sin, who helped in toppling the 14-year Marcos dictatorship in 1986.

“It is confusing. It is unbelievable. It is pathetic. It is disgusting. It is shameless. How did we reach this low level of public service?” the archbishop said.

Civil society groups have backed the bishops’ vocal stance.

Speaking to Crux Now, the 37-year-old president of activist group Akbayan said that the Catholic Church plays a huge role in this time of political crisis.

“The Church has provided the needed refuge for victims of Duterte’s bloody drug war against the poor. The Senate under Senate President Cayetano, on the other hand, is serving as a sanctuary for an alleged mass murderer and seems intent to block the impeachment of Sara Duterte,” Akbayan president Rafaela David said.

“At a time of great mistrust and political polarization, the Church can and must provide moral leadership and be the voice of our collective conscience, such that we may find a path forward toward justice and accountability,” she added.