El Shaddai won’t join INC

MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic charismatic movement El Shaddai will not be joining the religious gathering of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) on Tuesday, which some have described as a show of support for impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani, the spiritual director of El Shaddai, said the group was not coming to the INC “grand Bible exposition” at the Luneta which is expected to draw at least a million people.

“We are not joining,” Bacani said in an interview, adding that El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde did not mention anything about attending the INC event.

“We didn’t talk about that,” the bishop said.

Bacani issued the statement in the wake of reports that El Shaddai would be joining the INC religious gathering.

“I don’t know if there are individual members of El Shaddai that are joining but as an organization, we are not going to that rally,” said Bacani.