Catholicism, Roman—Philippines | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia. Although more than 80 percent of Filipinos are said to be Roman Catholic, many fewer are genuine Catholics. There is a wide gap between professing Catholics and orthodox Catholics. Most people believe in a Christianized Bathalism (from the name Bathala, or God), and the traditional indigenous religions and respect for nature have profoundly shaped religious beliefs and practices in the Philippines.

The Roman Catholic faith was introduced by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480–1521) in 1521, but the expedition led by the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (c. 1510–1572) brought a permanent presence. As was the case in Latin America, the mendicant orders (orders combining both cloistered and community work) were responsible for bringing and spreading the Catholic religion among the local inhabitants.

In addition to the six Augustinian friars who accompanied Legazpi's expedition, twelve Franciscans came in 1577, and Dominicans and Jesuits arrived in 1581; all carried on programs of evangelism and indoctrination. Financially supported by the Spanish crown, the friars represented a political as well as a religious presence. The Spanish friar was often the figure of authority outside Manila.

The early optimism that had characterized Spanish missionary work was later replaced by a disillusionment partly caused by the realization that the Filipinos were not passive recipients of this new religion. Catholicism in the Philippines was to a certain extent unique because the Filipinos added aspects of their traditional religion to it.

Catholicism provided a world of metaphors that Filipinos continue to use, particularly in times of crisis. Their enthusiasm for certain aspects of Catholicism should not, however, be mistaken for total acceptance of it. For example, in Philippine culture, where women had been equal to men and had often been in positions of power as priestesses, the Virgin Mary became the symbol of the new faith. In addition, where childhood had been idealized, the Santo Niño, or Holy Child, was venerated.

The foreignness of Catholicism was demonstrated in at least two areas: education and the clergy. Although the Spaniards established a number of schools and colleges (for example, the University of Santo Tomas in 1611), these were closed to Filipinos. The religious orders were also closed to Filipinos because of the Spanish concept of purity of blood—the requirement that the applicant prove that his or her family had been Christians for four generations. It was not until the eighteenth century that Filipinos were trained to be priests, and even then they became only "lay" priests and were not allowed to become friars (members of mendicant orders) or regulars. Regulars are those who belong to a regula, or order, such as Augustinian or Dominican.

During the Spanish domination of the Philippines, the various orders (with the exception of the Franciscans) amassed large tracts of land, often as the result of donations or by direct purchase. Prior to the Philippine Revolution in 1896, the orders owned 25 percent of the farming land in the provinces surrounding Manila. Thus, the church became a major economic force, in addition to its religious and political importance, and this fact had social consequences. Those who worked with and for the friars in managing their haciendas became an emerging elite at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

The conflict between the Philippines and Spain that culminated in the Philippine Revolution was in part an extension of the ongoing hostilities between secular Filipino priests and Spanish friars and as such can be viewed in religious as well as political terms. The execution of three Filipino priests, Mariano Gomes, José A. Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, on 17 February 1872 illustrated the lengths to which the friars would go. The three were falsely accused of participating in the Cavite Mutiny in January 1872 and were put to death.

After independence was declared on 12 June 1898, the new constitution included a provision for the separation of church and state, and this policy continued with the arrival of the United States.

Vatican II (1962) and the declaration of martial law (1972) resulted in significant changes in the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The cause of social justice was taken up by priests and nuns, often at the risk of their lives.

The imagery or metaphors of Catholicism were sometimes associated with those opposing the regime of Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1998) and the martial law imposed at that time. For example, Al Santos used the sinakulo, a dramatic presentation of the Easter story, to illustrate the condition of those living in the slums of Manila, who are presented as suffering Christs, oppressed by those in power. Other uses of Catholic metaphors were unintentional. The political martyr Benigno Aquino, Jr. (1932–1983), came to be viewed as the slain savior, and his widow Corazon Aquino (b. 1933) as the suffering Mary Magdalene. She spoke of her husband's death as the country's resurrection.

Yet, despite the changes introduced in recent years, Catholicism in the Philippines has remained much the same as it had been from the beginning. The ancient animistic deities have been transformed into Christian figures, and ancient beliefs have continued to permeate religious beliefs and practices.

Damon L. Woods

Iglesia Ni Christo; Philippine Independent Church

Enriquez, Virgilio G. (1994) From Colonial to Liberation Psychology: The Philippine Experience. Manila, Philippines: De La Salle University Press.

Maggay, Melba Padilla. (1987) The Gospel in Filipino Context. Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature.

Phelan, John Leddy. (1959) The Hispanization of the Philippines: Spanish Aims and Filipino Responses, 1565–1700. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

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