Cardinal denies backing candidates

MANILA, Philippines — The Roman Catholic Bishop of Kalookan on Saturday dubbed as “fake” an online post claiming that Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David endorsed national candidates for the May 12 polls.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Secretary General Msgr. Bernardo Pantin, in a separate statement, said the Church will not endorse any candidate and urged the public to “exercise discernment when reading such social media posts.”

READ: Cardinal David to poll bets: Help one another to lead by example

The post showed a false two-page letter, bearing the cardinal’s signature, calling on the faithful to vote for specific candidates. /cb