Philippines 2
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines has consistently protested extrajudicial killings and oppression of poor people in the regime of President Duterte. (Photo by Elizabeth Tapia, Courtesy of New World Outlook)
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines is an ecumenical council of mostly mainline Protestant churches, including the Philippines Central Conference of The United Methodist Church. The Philippine government recently declared the NCCP a front for communist organizations, a move taken in response to the NCCP's criticism of the government's extrajudicial killings of mostly poor citizens in its drug war and its oppression of indigenous peoples in the Philippines. This move by the government increases the risk of government persecution of Christians, including United Methodists, who faithfully speak out on behalf of the poor.
This move has been widely condemned by faith groups around the world. Below is a rundown of responses:
World Council of Churches statement
National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA statement
This post is republished with permission from UM & Global, the collaborative blog of United Methodist Professors of Mission.