Today marks the 69th death anniversary of Gregorio Aglipay, co-founder and first bishop of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, a Catholic breakaway national church in the Philippines. I don't know much about their beliefs but I'd assume that it's similar to the Roman Catholic Church. The church is in full communion with the Episcopalian Church and the Anglican Communion.
My mother-in-law is a former Aglipayan but converted to Catholicism. She doesn't remember anything about her former church, except that it's just like Catholic churches but with married priests. I didn't press further for fear of annoying my in-law with religion talk. (I am still in the atheist closet when it comes to my wife's family.)
And just yesterday, August 31st, Eraño G. Manalo, the current supreme leader of the Iglesia ni Cristo cult sect died of a heart attack. I have blogged about the INC before, where I pointed out their fanciful usage of various bible translations to bolster their belief that their church is the one true church. They're also staunchly anti-trinitarian, which they believe is a Catholic heresy.
I found out about his death this afternoon when I drove slowly through a major traffic congestion near their main church in Commonwealth Avenue. Devotees from all over the archipelago (numbering in the millions) will converge in this area to visit his wake. I expect the commute to be torture for a few days more.
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