500th

Anniversary of
the Arrival of

Christianity in the
Philippines
Jubilee Year
The preparation for the Jubilee Year in 2021, which marks
the fifth centenary or 500th anniversary of the arrival of
Christianity in the Philippines, is among the topics to be
discussed during the 116th plenary assembly of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in
Cebu City.

Bishops' Conference of the Philippines

(CBCP) in Cebu City.

The Jubilee Year is considered significant for the Catholic

faithful, especially the Cebuanos, since history has it that
Christianity first took root in the shores of Cebu in 1521.
Christian faith was then propagated to other islands in
the country and is continuing to flourish until today.

Cebu is recognized as the “cradle of Christian

civilization” and its archdiocese is considered as
the largest in the country with the most number of
Catholics, seminarians, and priests.
 500YOC
“Gifted to Give”, taken from
Matthew’s Gospel (10:8), is
The Logo

the theme for the celebration.

The theme and logo of the celebration, The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
dubbed “500YOC”, was approved by the
members of the permanent council of the
Philippines (CBCP) has released the
CBCP on Sept. 18. official theme and logo for the 500th
anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in
Various elements of the logo, the country which will be marked in 2021.
including a cross, a ship, the
sun, a rosary, among others.
 500YOC
“Gifted to Give”, taken from
Matthew’s Gospel (10:8), is
The Logo

the theme for the celebration.

The cross planted by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on the island of Cebu signifies
Christianity and serves as the mast of a ship.

The ship represents the navigators of the expedition that brought the faith to the island. It also
signifies the Church and its sacraments.

A dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, which shares the "Divine Life" in the sacrament of baptism. It also
looks like a cloud that manifests the presence of God.
 The image of

Sto. Niño de
Cebu
the oldest religious icon,
a gift of Ferdinand
Magellan to the first
Filipino Catholics.
Cebu City houses

Magellan’s
cross
or the cross Ferdinand
Magellan planted in the
then “Rajanate of Sugbo”
for the acceptance of Rajah
Humabon and his wife,
Juana, of the Christian
faith.
Arguments
"It is not a reminder of how we were colonized but of how
Filipinos embraced Catholicism," said the bishop, adding
that "colonization and the arrival of Christianity in the
country are two different things.“

Duterte as head of state can’t stop CBCP from holding the

celebration. Duterte is against the church.

Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon said Filipino Catholics will celebrate the
occasion even without Duterte. "We do not need the opinion of Duterte.
We will celebrate it without him," he said.

The Church is not imposing the celebration on people

"Anyone is welcome to celebrate with us," said Bishop Ruperto

Santos of Balanga, adding that the celebration is an occasion to
thank God for His protection for the past 500 years.
Arguments
It is a Journey to Re-evangelization.
 In his Pastoral Visit to the Philippines in January of 2015, Pope Francis,
noting the upcoming 500th anniversary of Christianity’s arrival in the
Philippines, challenged Filipinos to continue to let the Christian message
bear fruit: “It is my hope that this important anniversary will point to its
continuing fruitfulness and its potential to inspire a society worthy of the
goodness, dignity and aspirations of the Filipino people.”

It Sustains Our Faith.

“We look forward with gratitude and joy to March 16, 2021, the fifth
centenary of the coming of Christianity to our beloved land. We remember
with thanksgiving the first Mass celebrated in Limasawa Island on Easter
Sunday March 31 that same blessed year.”

“We remember the baptism of Rajah Humabon who was given his
Christian name Carlos and his wife Hara Amihan who was baptized Juana
in 1521. Our eyes gaze on the Santo Niño de Cebu, the oldest religious
icon in the Philippines, gift of Ferdinand Magellan to the first Filipino
Catholics that same year. Indeed, the year 2021 will be a year of great
jubilee for the Church in the Philippines.”
Arguments
The OFW as missionaries
The OFWs have filled up the once dormant churches in the United States,
Hong Kong, Kuwait, Italy, Spain, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, and many
other countries. They have taken over the pews formerly occupied by Irish
Americans at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. The Archbishop of
Manila, Cardinal Tagle noted once that “in Brunei, most of the 20,000
Christians are Filipinos.”

Faith Received, Faith Shared

A good number of bishops and priests coming from the Philippines have
been entrusted with varied ecclesiastical ministries. More recently, Pope
Francis has appointed Bicolano Bishop Adolfo Tito Yllana as Apostolic
Nuncio to Australia. The Filipino-born Salesian priest Fr Pedro Baquero,
SDB, and the Vincentian Fr Rolando Santos, CM are now bishops in
Papua New Guinea.
The Acceptance of Faith
It is not a reminder of how we were colonized but of how Filipinos embraced
Catholicism,” -Pabillo
“Colonization and the arrival of Christianity in the country are two different things,”
he said. “Filipinos are very much aware of this. It has been more than a century
since the Philippines regained her freedom while millions of Filipinos continue to
embrace the Catholic faith until now,” Pabillo stressed.
Arguments
A Celebration of Calling
The quinquennial event is not just a looking back to the past. It is also a
looking forward to the future. Yes, we have been chosen and truly gifted
with the faith. This carries a great responsibility. We gratefully accept the
gift, we develop it, and now it is our turn to pass it on to the others

As Seen by the President’s Perspective

In Duterte’s perspective, the embracing of another religion not held by

Filipinos and built by the invaders is seen as treachery, which is
understandable. Yet, he does not imply that the Filipinos should not
celebrate the said event, but rather let them continue to do what they
want, but the said government cannot promise to celebrate along with
them.
The Church is not imposing the celebration on people

"Anyone is welcome to celebrate with us," said Bishop Ruperto

Santos of Balanga, adding that the celebration is an occasion to
thank God for His protection for the past 500 years.
 The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines plans on
celebrating the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the

01 country this 2021 as a celebration of faith. What the Filipino

Church will celebrate this 2021 is not colonialism but 500
years of Christian faith, which is strongly justified by Mgr.
Pablo Virgilio Soingco David.

“the natives of these islands welcomed as a gift, albeit from

02
people who were not necessarily motivated by the purest of
motives," writes Msgr. Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, Bishop
of Kalookan and vice president of the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The bishop points out that the natives did not equate
Christianity with colonialism. Instead, “Our own ancestors

03 were intelligent enough to accept what was good and reject

what was evil”. In fact, "At some point, the faith that they
had embraced was no longer alien to them. It had
succeeded in taking root on the fertile ground of our innate
spirituality as a people.”
Additionally, three prelates namely Bishops Ruperto Santos

04 of Balanga, Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao and Arturo Bastes

of Sorsogon announced that the Catholic Church will
continue the celebration even without the support of
President Duterte.
"We do not need the opinion of Duterte. We will celebrate it

05
without him,” Bastes said in an interview. He added that the
Church respects the opinion of Duterte and stressed that it
does not impose the Catholic faith on non-believers. He
explained that the Church will celebrate the occasion to
thank God for his protection and provisions for 500 years. 
 "Those 500 years are God’s graces. God comes to us.
Christianity is God’s gift to us. It is his blessing and we are
blessed. And we have to be grateful to God. We have to

06 appreciate the sacrifices and services of those early

missionaries who planted the seed of the gospel to us. It is
our nature to be always grateful, (we express our debt of
gratitude),” Santos said. These statements was then agreed
by Ongtioco saying that the President has every right to
express his belief on religion.

The Catholic Church will be celebrating still another angle

to the historic event of the Spaniards’ arrival in 1521. The
church’s celebration for 2021 will focus on the start of 500

07
years of Christian evangelization. “What we are celebrating
is not the colonization of our country but that, despite the
dark times in history, the light of faith has come to our
land,” Msgr. Joseph Tan of the Archdiocese of Cebu said
last September 8 during the Feast of the Nativity of the
Virgin Mary in Cebu City.
CBCP secretary general Fr. Marvin Mejia said that aside from

08 the upcoming historic event, environmental concerns will

also be tackled during the gathering. “The conference has
invited experts to discuss environmental issues with the
Thank You