The Issue On

Religion
(Chapter 11)
PREPARED BY:
ANGELENE CALLEJA
DANA JANE ARGULLES

AGLIPAYAN CHURCH
Gregorio

Aglipay
-appointed by President Aguinaldo in the
wake of demands within the leadership of
the Revolutionary Government in 1899 for
the Filipinization of the Catholic Church.
Isabelo Delos Reyes
-established Iglesia Filipina Independiente,
making officially the beginning of the Schism
with Rome.

The

story of the birth of Aglipayan

Church as a tangible result of the
revolution can be attributed to the
struggle of the Filipino Priest to have
the control in the administration of
the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

October

20, 1898- President Aguinaldo issued a

decree, appointing Aglipay as Military Vicar
General- the religious leader of the revolutionary
government.

FRICTION BETWEEN
AGLIPAY AND NOZALEDA

The tribunal issued a decree of

excommunication declaring Aglipay a userper
and a schismatic with this ecclesiastical
power play, Nozaleda knew that
excommunication was an effective
instrument of the prelates to force Catholic
priests to toe the line of the catholic church.

MABINI AND THE FILIPINO

NATIONAL CHURCH
Apolinario

Mabini wrote a manifesto of the

Filipino clergy urging themselves to unite and
organize a Filipino National Church in the
Philippines.
This National Filipino Church was primarily
conceived by Mabini, to cooperate
completely with the Filipinos quest for
Independence.

THE FILIPINIZATION OF THE

CATHOLICE CHURCH

The Constitution, in effect, declared the

Independence of the Filipino clergy from
spanish ecclesiastical authority the control,
direction and supervision.

MONSIEUR CHAPELLE AND

FILIPINIZATION
Mons. Placido Chapelle

an American Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines

- he arrived on January 2, 1900 before the impending collapse of
the revolutionary movement.
- his initial move was to drive Filipino clergy away from Rome,
because the moment he arrived in the Philippines, he arrogantly
announced that he would treat Filipino clergy who opposed the
friars in ecclesiastical affairs as enemies of religion and order.
- he asserted that he can carry the authority of the United States
and would use force and coercion on the Filipino clergy to make it
difficult for the Spanish friars to return to their parishes.
- he stated with conviction that the Filipino priests were
incompetent and only capable of holding mental position in the
church

THE RELIGION SCHISM

One of the contributing factors that led to

separation of Aglipay and the Filipino clergy
from the Catholic Church stemmed from
Chapelles undiplomatic language and his
misleading perception about the Filipinos
political and religious aspirations
1901 delos Reyes campaigned vigorously for
the establishment of a Filipino church.
He later founded the first labor union in the
Philippines, the Union Obrera Democratica
(Democratic Labor Union)

PASCUAL H. POBLETE

A radical Filipino journalist and a staunch anti-friar, scheduled a

mass meeting at the Zorilla Theater at the Azcarraga (now Claro M.
Recto Avenue) and Evangelista Streets to attack the malpractices
of the friars but because of inclement weather, it did not
materialize.
That same night, Isabelo delos Reyes also called a meeting of his
Democratic Labor Union at Center of Arts attended by huge crowd
and delivered an anti-friar speech and the establishment of the
Filipino Church independent of Vatican with Aglipay as the
Supreme Bishop.
The new Church was called Iglesia Filipina Independiente
(Philippine Independent Church).
The founding of the New Church was enthusiastically and loudly
cheered by the people when delos Reyes made the announcement.
With the founding of the Philippine Independent Church, the
religions schism with the Vatican began.

AGLIPAY AND THE JESUITS

Aglipay was visibly irked when his name was

included as the Supreme Bishop of the new
Church, because at that time he was still
conferring with the Jesuits and other
ecclesiastical heads of the Catholic Church in
a last attempt to prevent its division into
opposing groups

JANUARY 18, 1903

AGLIPAY WAS CONSECRATED AS SUPREME BISHOP BY THE BISHOPS OF
CAGAYAN, ISABELA, ABRA, PANGASINAN, NUEVA ECIJA, CAVIE AND MANILA

Were with Aglipay in the La

Ignaciana which housed the
Jesuit threshing the problem
how
itcanMa.
be resolved.
and
Dr.
Leon

Guerrero and
Joaquin Luna

A Spaniard-astute and an
eminent author of a book in
the Philippines to work on the
Filipino clergy.
He exerted his power and
influence to persuade Aglipay
to return to the Catholic
Father Francisco
church and handed a
document obviously, was a
Foradada
confession of the Catholic
faith that he was returning to
Catholism and a clear
retraction of what he had
done.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RELIGIOUS
SCHISM

The conception and birth of the Filipino

Independent Church was an offshoot of the Filipino
clergy to centuries disparagement and prejudice.
The Revolution contributed two tangible results in
the life of Filipinos:
the

end of abuse and misrule, and the alienation of a

segment of the population of Philippine society from the
Catholic Church.
With establishment of the Philippine Independent
Church, the Filipino people were able to demonstrate
with determined effort, courage, fortitude and tenacity
of spirit, which exemplified their character at its
highest and loftiest measure. The political upheaval of
the Revolution ended with a religioustriumph

THANK YOU SO
MUCH!