PHILIPPINES
Rappler.com
November 5, 2017
The Catholic Church and the Iglesia ni Cristo are often left unchecked because of how they are revered as institutions. Rappler has pursued investigations of alleged abuses.
In Catholic Churches in the Philippines, the faithful often sit back and listen to what is presented as biblical truth. The Gospel readings often end with the declaration, “This is the word of the Lord.”
Because of this, faithful followers dare not question the priests who proclaim the gospel because they are seen as acting in the person of the head of the Catholic Church, Jesus Christ himself.
The Catholic Church in the Philippines counts at least 80,304,061 followers or 80% of the entire Philippine population, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. Also in the millions is the home-grown Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) which has about 2.3 Filipinos followers.
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