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8/3/2019 Philippine Independent Church

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HistoryHistory


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In the second phase of the revolution, which began

with Aguinaldos return from Hong Kong, Governor-General Basilio Augustin and Archbishop Bernardino

Nozaleda commissioned Father Gregorio Aglipay to

confer with the revolutionary leaders to bring them

back to the Spanish side with the promise ofautonomy for Philippines.

On the other hand, Emilio Aguinaldo sent Colonel

Luciano San Miguel as his emissary to Aglipay for the

purpose of persuading the latter to go to the north towork for the revolutionary cause.


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Aglipay went North to investigate the condition

of the bishopric of Nueva Segovia (Cagayan).

Upon his return to manila to report to

Nozaleda, he found Manila besieged by theAmericans. He decided to go to Cavite and join

Aguinaldos movement, particularly the Malolos

congress.


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On October 20, 1898, Aguinaldo issued a decree

appointing Aglipay as Military Vicar General, makinghim the religious leader of the revolutionarymovement. A day after his appointment, Aglipay issueda letter to the Filipino clergy to form an ecclesiasticalcouncil which would ask the Pope to appoint Filipino in

all Church positions from archbishop to the lowestparish priest.

Archbishop Nozaleda, deeply alarmed by Aglipaysdecisions charged the latter with usurpation of power.Nozaleda issued his decree excommunicating Aglipay

which took effect on May 5, 1899.


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During the brief period of Filipino administration of the

islands after the declaration of independence in June1898 up to the capture of Aguinaldo in March 1901, theFilipino clergy was mandated to take over the parishesand fill the spiritual needs of the Filipino while theblessing of the Vatican was being secured.

Aguinaldo designated Isabelo delos Reyes to this

important mission to intercede with the Pope for theappointment of Filipinos bishops. However, the papaldelegate disdained the idea saying, Not if all the friarsare beheaded will Rome appoint Filipinos as bishops.

So, Isabelo de los Reyes returned to the Philippines in

1901, burning with indignation and determined to starta separate independent church.


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After the fall of Manila to the Americans in August

13, 1898, Nozaleda fled to Shanghai and remainedthere until the Treaty of Paris was signed inDecember 10, 1898. During the treaty negotiations,the Vatican sent Bishop Placido L. Chapelle of NewOrleans to Paris who was tasked by the Pope toresolve the complaints of the native clergy, sidedwith the friars.

The Americans, who did not want to antagonize thePope, spared the Church from decimation byinserting Article VIII into the treaty which providedfor the protection of Church properties and rights.


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Meanwhile, de los Reyes made good his plan by

establishing a church in July, 1901 andappointed Father Aglipay as its head. FatherAglipay publicly refused the appointment anddisowned the movement.

He and several other Filipino members of theclergy continued to fight for the removal of thefriars from the parishes. However, Nozaleda andthe newly arrived papal delegate, BishopChapelle,sided with the friars.


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U.S. President Roosevelt, in an effort to diffusethe tense atmosphere of discontent, sent

Governor General William Howard Taft to

Vatican to negotiate with the Pope for the

resolution of two thorny issues, namely: thepurchase of the friar lands, and the removal of

the friars from the parishes.


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The first issue was accomplished after paying a

very handsome price, in the words of Felipe

Calderon, a large amount of money has left the

Philippine islands and gone into the treasury of

the religious corporations instead of remaining

in the possession and being expended for the

benefit of the Apostolic Catholic Roman

Church. But the second, the expulsion of the

friars, was not successfully resolved. The Pope

refused to remove the friars from the parishes.


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With the dismal news of Tafts failure to secure the

eviction of the friars, Father Aglipay saw it as aclear demonstration of the discrimination againstthe native priests and the pointless struggle of theFilipino clergy. Accordingly, in a bold decision inOctober 17, 1902,

Father Aglipay broke off with Rome and acceptedthe position ofObispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop)of the new church. His move created a stampede ofpriests and the faithful to the new church bringingwith them the control of Catholic churchproperties.


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From the actual proclamation of the Philippine

Independent Church, on August 2, 1902, the minds of the

great mass of Filipinos who joined were not muchconcerned with theology. They were certain to be no

longer under the Pope of Rome and they had a sense of

emancipation.

After Rome had miserably failed to address the issue,

Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr., popularly known as Don Belong,

led in the proclamation of the IFI in a meeting of the labor

union on August 3, 1902. With the proclamation the formalbreak from Rome of the cream of the Filipino clergy began.


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A constitutional break from Rome took place

when the new church approved its firstConstitution on October 1, 1902. Led by Father

Gregorio Aglipay, the Constitution was signed

by the Filipino secular priests who joined the

new church. Father Gregorio Aglipay y Labayanbecame the first Obispo Maximo of the IFI. His

consecration, presided by Father Jose

Evangelista, and participated in by eleven other

priests, took place on January 18, 1903 in theprovincial chapel on Calle Lemery near

Azcarraga.


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When the schism began, Filipino priests had

already occupied most of the church buildings.

But in 1906 the U.S. Supreme Court decided in

favor of returning all properties to the Vatican.

Consequently, many Filipinos who had joined

the IFI returned to the Roman Catholic Church.

Those who remained loyal to the new Filipino

church, now bereft of buildings and other

properties, continued to maintain a nationalistic

and independent posture.


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The

Obispo Maximo XII

Iglesia Filipina Independiente


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