MANILA, Philippines – Cardinal Jose Advincula, the archbishop of Manila, called on the Philippine military to “stay faithful” to their oath, in the face of a rumored coup plot against the Marcos government.

Advincula, leader of the Catholic Church in the nation’s capital, issued a call for sobriety ahead of a two-day anti-corruption rally by a politically influential Christian church in Manila.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) rally, which took place from Sunday to Monday and was attended by up to 650,000 protesters, was initially perceived as an attempt to unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., much like the 1986 People Power Revolution that ousted his father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. The INC, however, asserted that it was against extralegal measures.

The rally took place in the context of a feud between Marcos and his former ally, Vice President Sara Duterte, who even once threatened to assassinate the President. Complicating the matter is a corruption scandal involving billions of pesos in flood control projects, in which allies of both Marcos and Duterte have been implicated.

Advincula, 73, reminded Filipinos to stay calm as the nation “faces a deep moral and spiritual crisis.” His statement on Saturday was titled “A Call for Vigilance, Sobriety, and Discernment.”

“In moments of mass gatherings and public discourse, we do not let emotion prevail over reason. We must always adhere to the rule of law and resist any calls for extraconstitutional means to solve our problems. Our loyalty must be to our country and its democratic principles, not to persons, and certainly not to other self-serving motivations,” the cardinal said.

“To those in the military and police force, and all in positions of public service, I appeal to you to stay faithful to your oath to the flag and our country and not to any particular personality. Your fidelity to the Constitution is vital for the stability and integrity of our republic,” he added.

Advincula is considered media-shy compared to his predecessor, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, and is known to comment on political affairs only in grave circumstances. He once said he cannot be “as vocal” as Cardinal Jaime Sin, the late Manila archbishop who helped mount the 1986 revolt, but the current political crisis has prompted him to speak out more frequently.

Like Advincula, another Catholic bishop made a direct appeal to the country’s armed forces. Bishop Elias Ayuban Jr., head of the Diocese of Cubao in northern Metro Manila, visited the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Friday to deliver a letter of support to the military chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr.

“We, the clergy, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful of the Diocese of Cubao, wish to express our support and solidarity with you and the men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as you continue to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law,” Ayuban wrote Brawner.

“We stand firmly with you in the defense of our democratic institutions and the Filipino people, especially in these challenging times for our nation. We value your steadfast commitment to preserving peace, order, and national unity in accordance with the principles of justice and democracy,” said Ayuban, who was formerly the provincial superior of the Filipino Claretians.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the private secretary of Cardinal Sin during the 1986 uprising, wrote his own pastoral letter warning against “our human impatience for swifter justice.” Such impatience, he said, might tempt Filipinos “to seek shortcuts or embrace extreme measures,” but “our faith calls us to a higher standard” that entails respecting the law.

“We must be cunning in recognizing those who sow intrigue and innuendo, as well as those false prophets and ambitious adventurists who promise quick freedom or immediate solutions. They often serve their own self-serving political undercurrents rather than the common good,” Villegas, 65, wrote in a pastoral letter that was read in all Sunday Masses in his archdiocese.

“Furthermore,” Villegas said, “we must stand firmly against the specter of military adventurism or any form of violence as a means to short-circuit the path to true justice. The Church teaches that peace is the fruit of justice and dialogue, not the result of unchecked ambition or force. Our Prince of Peace calls us to be peacemakers, even as we struggle against evil.”