Catholic priest, renowned writer expose death threats after denouncing ‘cult’ denomination in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino Catholic priest and an Evangelical writer have exposed death threats against them by alleged members of the independent Christian church Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).

Father Robert Reyes, 71, an activist priest popularly known as The Running Priest, and Melba Maggay, 75, an award-winning social anthropologist, addressed the threats at a press conference in the Diocese of Cubao headquarters on Tuesday.

The threats stemmed from comments made by Reyes and Maggay against the INC at another press conference on June 10.

In the earlier media event, Maggay said it is time for Catholics and Evangelicals to “stand up to” the INC, which she called a “cult.” She said the INC has been “skewing the elections” because “for the longest time, politicians have been making a beeline for this church” due to their bloc voting practice.

The INC or Church of Christ is a 112-year-old independent Christian denomination founded in the Philippines. Although the INC counts only 2.8 million members in a country of 86 million Catholics, the INC rivals the Catholic Church in terms of political influence.

Bloc voting

The INC  is known for voting as a bloc in every election, and Filipino politicians –