On July 24, the Philippine government launched an official investigation into the involvement of the Advisory Board of the influential religious organization Iglesia ni Cristo, which can be translated from Tagalog as the Church of Christ, in the abductions of Church ministers who opposed their leadership.

The events inside the church became known to the general public last week, when the mother and brother of the leader of the group Eduard Manalo, Christina and Felix, posted a video on Youtube in which they reported that their lives were in danger, and about 10 priests of the Church were missing. "The Council threatens us because we opposed the leader. We love our brother, but the problem is in his environment, " the brother of the church leader Felix Manalo said earlier.

Felix also denounced the misuse of church funds, which he blamed on Church auditor Glycerio Santos and General Secretary Radel Cortez. "The Church's funds are used for various projects, many of which are not even needed," he says. One of these unnecessary projects, according to Felix, was the construction of the Philippine Arena, which is considered the largest indoor stadium in the world. It was here that the centenary celebrations of the founding of the Church of Christ were held last year. The arena is part of a complex of church buildings that also includes a university, a conference center, medical facilities, residential buildings, and a chapel. Another project, which the church leadership did not report on its funding goals, is the purchase of a ghost town in the US state of South Dakota in 2008 for $ 800,000.

In addition to his mother and brother, Eduard Manalo, one of the priests of Iglesia ni Cristo, one of the ministers of this cult and former editor-in-chief of the church newspaper, Isaias Samson, reported the abductions of 10 priests. "It's very difficult to talk about things that we know will harm the Church because of the actions of individuals," Isaias said.

The leadership of the religious organization, represented by the chief theologian Bienvenido Santiago, did not admit the charges of abducting priests, saying that "The Church is not a family corporation."

Edward's mother and brother, as well as Isaias and his family, were expelled from the Church "for spreading disharmony among its members." Some priests reacted by withdrawing from the community to the exclusion of Christina and Felix, whom they call "the angel". In Iglesia ni Cristo, "angel" is the title given to the head of the Church.

The Internet space was also censored. After the report of the abduction of 10 priests, the blog of Evangelist Antonio Ramirez, who reported on violations in the community, "Iglesia ni Cristo – you can't keep silent anymore", his Facebook page and two communities on the same network dedicated to the abuse of the organization's leadership, were closed. In his blog, Antonio Ramirez wrote about the corruption of the church leadership and accused priests of forcing people to join Iglesia ni Cristo in exchange for T-shirts and badges with the Church's logo.

Church leaders said they were unaware of Isaias ' statements and the reaction of some Church members to the reported excommunication of Christina and Felix, as they were too busy preparing for the celebration of the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Church, which was held on July 26 this year in the Philippine Arena and gathered about 2 million people.

At the same time, Antonio Ramirez reports that thousands and thousands of these two million people would like to come to the house of Christina and Felix to express support, but they were afraid of excommunication from the Church, which for these people is worse than death, because with it they lose hope of finding eternal life.

On July 27, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation closed the Iglesia ni Cristo priest abductions case. "They (employees of the National Bureau of Investigation. - "NGR") knocked on the gates of the church, but they were closed. Therefore, no information could be gathered, but the Church leadership informed us that there were no abductions on the territory of Iglesia ni Cristo, " a Philippine police officer commented on the decision to close the case. However, the police are awaiting further information on the matter.

Recently, the Church was involved in another scandal involving the alleged performance of American R'n'B singer Chris Brown. The latter, at the request of representatives of Iglesia ni Cristo, was refused to leave the country due to the fact that the singer, having received a substantial fee for performing at the Philippine Arena, canceled the concert.

Currently, the number of supporters of Iglesia ni Cristo in the Philippines reaches 2 million people, which is about 2.5% of the country's population. The number of supporters of the Church is second only to three Philippine communities: Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and the Philippine Independent Church, which broke away from the official Catholic Church. Despite their relative smallness, the votes of Iglesia ni Cristo are important in the political life of the country, as the congregation usually votes as a single bloc. In 2002, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism described the Church's political power as follows: "Iglesia ni Cristo demands unconditional obedience from its members. They vote as a bloc, so politicians have to court the leaders of the Church." The Center's report also highlights the Church's assets in education, medicine, media, and manufacturing.

Viktor Sumsky, Director of the ASEAN Center at MGIMO, notes that the fact that the power disputes in Iglesia ni Cristo have started right now may not be accidental: the Philippines is nearing the 2016 presidential election. Iglesia ni Cristo is a lobbying group, and in exchange for a consolidated vote for a particular candidate, the corporation issues that candidate a list of positions to which members of the Church of Christ or those who favor it should be appointed. For example, during the election of ex-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroiro, Iglesia ni Cristo demanded positions on the state's Supreme Court in exchange for electoral assistance. Under current President Benigno Aquino, such a lobbied post was the appointment of the police chief of the largest city in the metropolitan district of Kesson City, Magtangol Gatdul, to the National Bureau of Investigation. Gatdul was later fired for involvement in the kidnapping. "Iglesia ni Cristo is an influential but very closed Philippine Church," says Elena Frolova, associate professor of the Department of Philology of South – East Asia, Korea and Mongolia at ISAA, " closed to such an extent that even strangers are not allowed in the churchyard. And this is despite the fact that the Church conducts a broad propaganda campaign, including in the media."

The Church of Christ in the Philippines was founded in 1914 by Felix Manalo. Its creation is considered the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy about the restoration of the only true Church in the Far East, which means the approach of the last days. Followers of the Manalo faith believe that they belong to the only true Church, and Felix himself is revered as a prophet and messenger of God. As already mentioned, Iglesia ni Cristo has adopted a special term for this person – "angel".

"Of course, the Catholic Church cannot agree with the meaning of this word, which counts Felix Manalo among the five angels who came from the East, considered in the Bible to be the last messengers of God on earth," says Elena. Neither can Catholics accept that God is, oddly enough, only God the Father to the members of the Church of Christ.

By the end of Felix Manalo's life, Iglesia ni Cristo had spread throughout the Philippine Archipelago. In 1968, the first foreign parish of the Church of Christ was opened in Hawaii, followed by the opening of churches in San Francisco (1968), Canada (1971), and California (1980). In 1990, a branch of the Church was opened in Cuba, and a year later in Mexico. Now there are parishes all over the world, and the Church has followers in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Israel, Hawaii, Guam, and Hong Kong – all in 42 countries.

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