Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continued his feud with the Catholic Church with fresh insults just days after wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. 

The president fired off at the Church on Saturday, saying it should 'correct itself' before it criticises others.

'To the priests, don't meddle too much,' he said, according to Bloomberg. 'If not, I will really be their enemy and I will continue to attack them.'

He made the comments during a visit to the southern Philippine province of Cotabato to hand out land titles to farmers.

The president and the Catholic Church have been at odds over the latter's criticism of his brutal campaign to eradicate drug trafficking in the Philippines. 

His comments have sometimes angered the Philippine's majority Catholic population.  His ratings took a hit after he called God 'stupid' earlier this year. 

'It was an unnecessary remark, it really affected his ratings,' said analyst Earl Parreno, of the Institute of Political and Electoral Reforms, at the time.

'The rising prices and unemployment also had an impact, but this is only temporary. He has to repair his relations with the bishops and rebuild his image,' Parreno said.

At other times, Duterte has questioned why God would create hell and not intervene to stop wars. 

'If you are God, you don't create hell. If you are God, you don't create wars. If there is a God, then there is no poverty. If there is God, then nobody dies of hunger. If there is God, you are not refused burial services on Sundays,' he said in a speech in Cebu City in August.

Then last month, he told Filipinos they were better off not going to church. 

'You don't have to go to church to pay for these idiots,' he said of the bishops and priests.

Despite his frequent disparaging remarks about the church, he broadcast a Christmas message this year in which he told Filipinos to 'contemplate on the worth of the lessons that we can learn from the narrative of Christ's birth'. 

'Together let us bring hope and peace in our nation this Yuletide season as we welcome the coming year with much hope and optimism,' he added as he wished everyone a 'happy and meaningful' Christmas.