The Split of Philippine Catholicism and the Birth of Aglipayanism

(1902-1946)

Ladybhem P. Sialongo
Master of Arts in History 1

Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan

History 253: Philippine Historiography 2 (1899-1946)

Prof. Faina C. Abaya – Ulindang

March 29, 2020

 ABSTRACT

After the introduction of the religion Islam in the Philippines specifically in the south in 13 th
century here comes another world major religion (Roman Catholic) that was introduce during
the 15th century brought by another colonizers (Spaniards). People who were not Islamized
practiced animism but as the new colonizers strongly put efforts to their campaign in
converting the natives slowly the new religion grew in numbers and became the country’s
dominant religion. Three century had past and seems the people had enough for the abuses of
the friars and sought for independence. This independence also marked the birth of a new
religion patterned from Catholicism but having some differences in terms of some rites and
doctrines.
 I. Introduction
People with different life orientation politically or socially can be bound by one

belief. A belief of God or gods is called religion. According to Swidler, religion is "an

explanation of the meaning of life and how to live accordingly." Another definition by

Bradley was that "Religion usually has to do with man's relationship to the unseen world, to

the world of spirits, demons, and gods. A second element common to all religions … is the

term salvation. All religions seek to help man find meaning in a universe which all too often

appears to be hostile to his interests. The world salvation means, basically, health. It means

one is saved from disaster, fear, hunger, and a meaningless life. It means one is saved for

hope, love, security, and the fulfilment of purpose." Karl Marx also defined that "Religion is

the sigh of the oppressed creature... a protest against real suffering... it is the opium of the

people... the illusory sun which revolves around man for as long as he does not evolve around

himself."

In most cases having one belief is a unifying factor of people who live and share the

same geographical area. In the Philippines Roman Catholic religion was introduced in 16 th

century where majority of the natives practiced animism and as a result of these friars efforts

many people were converted into Christianity. Spaniards used this religion to easily govern

their subject. Later, there were natives who entered priesthood and served the Catholic

Church until the issue of secularization broke out on 1763 that leads to the idea of the natives

in managing their own parishes. Complaints and sentiments about the Catholic religion and

its doctrine grew bigger and the issue triggered after the return of the Jesuits on 1859 and the

death of GOMBURZA in 1872.

The birth of Aglipayanism can be trace back during the Philippines struggle for

independence in the late 19th century. The martyrdom of three Filipino priests in 1872 raised

nationalist consciousness. This culminated in the 1896 Philippine Revolution and

independence was proclaimed in 1898. Some of the native priest participated and joined the

revolution. That same year the Americans defeated the Spanish and took over the Philippines

as a colony. The Filipino-American war ended in 1902 with the defeat of the Filipinos. Msgr.

Gregorio Aglipay became the first Supreme Bishop of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in

January 1902.

This paper aims study the factors that lead to the creation of a Roman Catholic

oriented church the Iglesia Filipina Indiependente (IFI), to cite the major differences of their

rites, beliefs, and ideology and its impact and contribution to the society especially during the

American colonial period of 1902-1946.

 II. Review of related literature

As the study focuses on the differences between the religions Aglipayanism or Iglesia

Filipina Independiente (IFI) and Roman Catholic most of the materials used were articles

writings and video clips discussed the history of both religions and its practices. But because

of a limited sources the researcher only utilized few works and writings.

Some of the writings of Go, F. S. (1980), The Philippine Independent Church:

Religious Conversion and the Spread of Aglipayanism in Cebu Province., HERMANN, A.

(2014), The Early Periodicals Of The Iglesia Filipina Independiente (1903–1904) And The

Emergence Of A Transregional And Transcontinental Indigenous-Christian Public Sphere,

Rodell, P.A (1988), The Founding of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (the "Aglipayan"

Church): A Historiographical Review and VICTORIANO, E.L. (1960), What Aglipayans

Believe. These are helpful in understanding the beginning of the Aglipayan Church and the

roots and causes of their split from the Catholic Church. Videos from YouTube can also be

utilized as a source. The researcher also visited blog spot where the articles published are

related to the study.

 III. Methodology

As the study focuses on the differences between the religions Aglipayanism or Iglesia

Filipina Independiente (IFI) and Roman Catholic the researcher explore the internet and

library for the materials that are essentials for the study. Most of the materials retrieve are

articles writings and video clips discussed the history of both religions and its practices. Both

secondary and primary sources are subject to internal and external criticism for the validity,

authenticity and accuracy. The mentioned materials should fit to the time frame of the study

which is 1902-1946.

IV. Scope and limitation

This paper focuses on the birth of the Aglipayan Church and the split of Philippine

Catholicism. This paper discuss the background of the personalities who are considered as the

founders of the IFI, the struggles that they had cone through and the factors of its foundation.

It also discuss the major differences of each religion in terms of their rites and doctrines. Thus,

it will limit only on the time frame set of the study from the period of 1902-1946. There may

be some changes of the practices of both religion that are not mentioned in the study from the

period beyond 1946 up to date.

 V. Results and Discussion

The Aglipayan Church is a nationalist church, ‘Catholic’ in tradition but ‘Protestant’ in

action. “Catholic’ on grounds that the church proclaimed schism from the Roman Catholic

Church and it retained some Catholic celebrations and doctrines in their theology. It must

again be noted that though it’s ‘Catholic’ it is independent from Roman Catholicism and the

Papal authority. ‘Protestant’ in action due to its alliances, full communion and concordats with

Protestant denominations such as the Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Anglicans, and

Ecumenical Churches. (E.J Padagas).

The first Obispo Maximo was Msgr. Gregorio Aglipay (1860-1940) an ordained

Catholic Priest.  He was born in Batac, Ilocos Norte on May 8, 1860. His parents were Pedro

Aglipay Cruz and Victoriana Labayan Hilario. He became an orphaned when his mother died

while he was barely seven months old. He came under the care of his maternal granduncles

and grandaunts. An unpleasant incident happened when he was fourteen that made a deep

impression on him. For failing to meet the required quota of tobacco, he was arrested and

brought before the gobernadorcillo. This caused him to harbor deep resentment against the

Spanish civil authorities.

Aglipay had his early education in his hometown and in 1876 he went to Manila and

studied at the private school of Julian Carpio, a lawyer. After two years and with the financial

help extended to him by a granduncle, Francisco del Amor, he enrolled at the Colegio de San

Juan de Letran where he worked his way as a "capista." A diligent student, Aglipay received

his Bachelor of Arts degree from Letran and went on to the University of Santo Tomas to

study law. However, he decided to study for the priesthood and entered the Vigan Seminary

in 1883 and was ordained as a priest in Manila on December 21, 1889 and celebrated his first
Mass in January of the following year. For eight years he served as coadjutor (assistant parish

priest) in various parishes: Indang, Cavite, San Antonio, Nueva Ecija; Bocaue, Bulacan; San

Pablo. Laguna; and, finally, Victoria, Tarlac. He was coadjutor of San Pablo when the

Philippine Revolution broke out in August 1896.

When he was assigned in Victoria, Tarlac in the latter part of 1896 he became directly

involved with the independence movement and was known for giving aid to the

revolutionaries. On October 20, 1898 Gregorio Aglipay was appointedby Gen. Emilio

Aguinaldo and became the military chaplain of the Revolutionary. As a military chaplain, he

earned for himself the gratitude of the Spanish Jesuits. It was said that through his

intercession the Spanish Jesuits, In September of 1898, General Aguinaldo called for a

meeting of delegates in Malolos, Bulacan. Gregorio Aglipay represented his home province

of Ilocos Norte and was among those who affixed their signatures to the Constitution which

was adopted by the Congress. Aglipay was raised to the rank of vicario general castrence

(military vicar general) by General Aguinaldo in a decree issued on the 20th of October. As

such, he resumed the work begun by Fr. Jose Burgos - the Filipinization of the Church in the

Philippines. He led in the articulation of the demands of the native Filipino clergy to be fully

recognized for their capabilities and to have them receive appointments on an equal basis

with those of their Spanish counterparts. This was in view of the fact that they had received

the same formation, training and most importantly the same sacrament of ordination to the

priestly vocation. He issued several manifestoes urging the Filipino clergy to unite and take

over the government of the Church in the country. These manifestoes, among other reasons,

led to his excommunication by Archbishop of Manila Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa for

fomenting schism with the Pope. The ecclesiastical court, in a decree issued in May 1899,

found him guilty of inciting the clergy to rebellion against Church authorities.
 In January 1902, following the collapse of the revolution, a group of priests of Nueva

Segovia resolved to separate from Rome and to establish an autonomous Philippine Church,

if the Vatican should continue to ignore the rights of Filipino Clergy with regard to the

appointment of Filipino Bishops.  When the Vatican refused, the said group of priests

designated Aglipay as their representative to carry out their resolution, and the schismatic

sect was established. He was hesitant at first, but finally accepted the offer that sealed his

break with the Roman Catholic Church. In April 1901, a month after the capture of General

Aguinaldo, Aglipay realized the futility of continued resistance against the Americans, and

surrendered to Colonel MacCaskey in Laoag.

In the other hand Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. (1864-1938) was born on July 7, 1864 in

Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Elias de los Reyes and Leona Florentino. A Trade Union organizer and

leader took advantage of the first Congress of Laborers of the Philippines on August 3, 1902,

to proclaim the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church.

  He openly attacked the religious and Spanish writers and criticizing the Spanish

maladministration in the country in his writings and articles. Because of his attacks on his

articles against the friars, he was regarded as a dangerous enemy. He was then accused of

complicity in the Revolution of 1896, he was arrested and jailed in the Bilibid Prison on

February 13, 1897. While in the Bilibid Prison, he wrote his Sensecional Memoria and

addressed it to the Governor pointing out that the friars were the ones to be blamed of the

rebellion against colonial government in the Philippines because of their rampant abuses

towards the people. Because of this provocation he was deported to Spain, where he was

jailed at the Montjuich Castle in Barcelona. He was released under the Pact of Biak na Bato

agreement and was appointed Consejo del Ministerio de Ultramar in the Spanish Cabinet in

1898-1901. Despite of being married to a Spanish girl and his having a good job in the

Spanish government the love for his native land did not lost, so that in 1899 he published La
Sensecional Memoria sobre la Revolucion Filipina in Madrid. And while abroad, he was

commissioned by the Filipino Ecclesiastical Assembly to negotiate with the Pope to

secularize the Filipino clergy but the appeal was rejected and this convinced him to resume

his anti-friar campaign. During the Filipino-American War (1899-1902), he attacked the

Americans for assaulting the first Philippine Republic in his new book Independencia y

Revolucion. He founded and edited two nationalist periodicals in Madrid, El Defensor de

Filipinas and Filipinas Ante Europa. Upon Gen. Aguinaldo’s capture in March 1901, General

Malvar appointed him, he was named President of the Republic of the Philippines by some of

the revolutionary generals, a title he never received because at that time the Americans

already occupied the Philippines.

On July 1, 1901. On February 2, 1902, he organized the first labor union, Union

Obrera Democratica Filipina. As its first President, he initiated the first Labor Day

celebration on May 1 and published La Redencion de Obrero, the first labor newspaper. On

that first labor Congress held on August 3, 1902, he proclaimed the establishment of the

Philippine Independent Church and nominated Fr. Gregorio Aglipay, vicar general of the

Revolutionary Army, as its Supreme Bishop. Mons. Aglipay then named Isabelo as Honorary

Bishop.

There were numerous religious movements organized around folk religious beliefs

and practices. Most of these religious movements have received further stimulus form the

nationalistic ideas out of the revolutionary era from 1896-1906. There leaders came from the

lower level of society and were rarely members of the elite society that is why it was called as

indigenous religious movement. Apart from that the IFI was not viewed as an outgrowth of

an indigenous religious movement as its leaders, priest and members came from the Western-

educated elite. It did not emerge from the movement of the masses rather an elite controlled

movement.
 The Aglipayanism based its appeal on nationalism and Filipinism to battle against

racial discrimination. The way how they recruited their members was a social-political

process rather than through the attraction of its religious ideology. In 1906 the tied had

turned, the Aglipayans numbers declined significantly. This was the result of the American

issued that all of the churches taken by the Aglipayans shall be returned to the religious

orders that somehow lead to used forced. Even up until 1940s the organization was divided

but the schism did not died and the Philippine independent Church continues to be an

important religious institution in the country.  The new church rejected the spiritual authority

of the Pope (then Pope Leo XIII) and abolished the celibacy requirement for priests, allowing

them to marry. At that time, all of its clergy were former Catholic priests.

Aglipay drew upon the Masons for some concepts of theology and worship. He was

supported by Miguel Morayta, the Grand Master of the Spanish Orient Lodge

of Freemasonry in Madrid he became a Mason in 1918. The historian John N. Schumacher

contends that Morayta and other non-Filipino laymen pushed Aglipay toward schism with the

Catholic Church because of their resentment of the activities of Catholic religious orders in

the Philippines rather than Filipino nationalism. The new Iglesia Filipina Independiente

reformed the Latin Tridentine liturgy, adopting the vernacular in worship, and modeling its

liturgy on the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Mass in the IFI has been said

in Spanish since the earliest days of its independence, but it is also said in Tagalog.

There were a lot of differences in of Aglipayan faith from other sects and

denominations is it “was born out of the Filipino struggle against colonialism.” And here are

some differences between the Aglipayans and the Roman Catholic Catholic Church: First, the

church has its own spiritual head the Obispo Maximo. The Roman Catholic Church has a

Pope, The Aglipayans have the Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop), Fr. Gregorio Aglipay

being the 1st Obispo Maximo. They are far away from the power of the Pope. Second, clerical
celibacy to them is optional. This means that clergy could marry unlike in the Roman Catholic

Church where celibacy is strictly followed. Third, women can be ordained as they are

considered in having more active participation in spreading the Christian message not just

aiding but being co-equal partners in the Ministry. The First woman bishop that made history

to the Philippine Independent Church is Bishop Emelyn Dacuycuy was consecrated May 5

2019 as the first woman bishop to serve the Philippine Independent after 117 years of its

foundation. Lastly, the Church released a pro-equality statement on the LGBTIQ+ community

entitled “ Our Common Humanity, Our Shared Dignity.” Though the Church does not

promote same-sex marriages it was willing to embrace and let their LGBTIQ+ parishioners to

express themselves. Aglipayan church joined public demonstrations in support of

the Reproductive Health Bill, a law advocating for contraception and sex education that the

Catholic Church and several other Christian denominations objected to on moral grounds.

 Aglipayan numbers decreased due to factionalism and doctrinal disagreements. The

American government of occupation, after the Philippine–American War ended in July 1902,

decided to return to the Catholic Church those parish buildings that had become Aglipayan

during the Philippine Revolution and this further limited church growth. There were tensions

within the church from the beginning between Aglipay's liberal followers and more

traditional members. Eventually there would be a schism: after Aglipay's death in 1940 the

courts awarded the name and assets to the Trinitarian faction. Some factions formally joined

other denominations including the Episcopal Church and the American Unitarians.

 VI. Findings and Analysis

The proliferation of the new religion (Roman Catholic) in 16th century was very

successful as people came only to realize its abuses during in the 19 th century brought by

many factors. Even the formation of the separate Philippine religion was patterned by the

orthodox religion only there were modifications and changes to some of its teachings,

doctrines and practices. As the Catholicism was introduce in the country by the Spaniards

most of the natives embrace the new monotheist religion and leaved their old beliefs of the

gods and goddesses. But, still remains some paganism because in the first place Roman

Catholicism was a mixed of paganism in nature way back during the Roman ages. There were

resistance of course of these new religion during the transitional period from 16 th to 18th

century but not considered as major resistance. The organized group of people who showed

strong resistance were the Moslems in the southern part of the archipelago. Those who were

not Muslims but still resist to be converted into Catholicism were forced to withdraw in the

mountains and choose to live and practiced their old beliefs.

As Catholicism grew in numbers in the country many Filipinos also adhere to become

priest. Priest were categorized, the regulars and the seculars. Regulars are those who belong

with religious orders such as Jesuits, Recollects, Franciscan, Dominican and Augustinians

while the seculars are those native priest. Discrimination among the seculars was present

since they are not allowed to hold parishes unlike the regulars. The story became different in

1759 when a decree was issued about the expulsion of the Jesuits that resulted to the

vacancies of parishes owned and run by the Jesuits. Then the seculars replaced the Jesuits the
tension now rise as many regulars opposed to the decree because of the following reasons;

first, secular priest were natives and they were racially discriminated, second, according to

the regulars they are not capable in running a parish because of having not enough training

and knowledge. And tension became more intense upon the return of the Jesuits missionaries

in 1858 where most of their owned parishes before were now runs by the seculars. 19 th

century also was the period of the Filipinos birth of nationalism. And at the heat of the

revolution a group of Filipino priest finally broke the band between the Roman Catholic

Church and formed their owned church which embodies the ideals of the Filipinos of being

independent and has a strong patriotism. The new church is now called the Iglesia Filipina

Independiente (IFI) or the Aglipayanism. Contrast to the belief of everybody that Gregorio

Aglipay is the founder of the new church, the founders of the new church was the group of

Filipino priest and the group of labourers who chooses and ordained him to be the first

Obispo Maximo of the IFI. What makes unique of these church was that it was a product of

the collective efforts of the natives priest and a group of labourers and these church did not

recognized the authority and power of the Sto. Papa (Pope) in Rome.
 References

Go, F. S. (1980), The Philippine Independent Church: Religious Conversion and the Spread
of Aglipayanism in Cebu Province. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society Vol.
8, No. 2/3 pp. 150-167 Published by: University of San Carlos Publications
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2979168 Page Count: 18
HERMANN, A. (2014), The Early Periodicals Of The Iglesia Filipina Independiente (1903–
1904) And The Emergence Of A Transregional And Transcontinental Indigenous-
Christian Public Sphere Philippine Studies: Historical & Ethnographic Viewpoints,
Vol. 62, No. 3/4, Special Double Issue: Filipino Catholicism (sept-dec 2014), pp. 549-
565
Rodell, P.A (1988), The Founding of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (the "Aglipayan"
Church): A Historiographical Review, Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society,
Vol. 16, No. 3/4, pp. 210-234
VICTORIANO, E.L. (1960), What Aglipayans Believe, Philippine Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2 pp.
292-299

Website links
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/05/29/first-woman-bishop-makes-history-in-
philippine-independent-church/

https://medium.com/@ejamespadagas/learning-about-the-aglipayan-church-2c90b942f0b7

https://www.pinoyexchange.com/discussion/71399/what-are-the-differences-between-aglipay-and-
catholic-church

https://www.religious-information.com/aglipayan-religion.html

https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/faq/aglipayan-church

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpHga2RBjn8&t=10s

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ifi+church+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ve0cJiWvZQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSlFCOufCjI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy4OBAcJKD8&t=3s