Philippine Independent Church

Philippine Independent Church
File:Logo ifi white.jpg Iglesia Filipina Independiente Seal
Classification	Protestant and Catholic
Orientation	Trinitarianism
Polity	Anglican
Headquarters	National Cathedral of the Holy Child, 1500 Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines
Territory	Philippines, United States, and Canada
Founder	Most Reverend Gregorio Aglipay y Labayan, Obispo Maximo I
Independence	1902
Official website	www.ifi.ph

The Philippine Independent Church, (officially the Spanish: Iglesia Filipina Independiente or the IFI, also known as the Philippine Independent Catholic Church or the Ilocano: Siwayawaya a Simbaan nga ti Filipinas (sometimes also known as Tagalog: Malayang Simbahan ng Pilipinas), is a Christian denomination of the Catholic tradition in the form of a national church. The church was founded by the members of the first federation of labor unions in the country, the Union Obrera Democratica (UOD) in 1902. Isabelo de los Reyes was one of the founders of the church and suggested that Gregorio Aglipay be the head of the church. It is also known as the Aglipayan Church after its first obispo maximo, Gregorio Aglipay.

Unsurprisingly, all the founding members of the church were excommunicated by the Catholic Church during its establishment in 1902.

Since 1960 it has been in full communion with the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (and through it with the entire Anglican Communion) and, since 1965, with the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht Association of Churches. Today the Philippine Independent Church or Aglipayan Church is the second largest Christian denomination in the Philippines after the Roman Catholic Church. The bulk of the Aglipayans come from the northern part of the island of Luzon, especially in the Ilocandia region, home of the first supreme bishop. Now the church is divided into 10 dioceses including the Diocese of the United States and Canada. However, due to a lack of priests, many parishes in the USA are priestless.

The current Obispo Maximo is the Most Reverend Godofredo J. David, (112th bishop) who has his central office in the capital of the country, Manila, at the (National Cathedral of the Holy Child in Taft Ave, Manila). His line of episcopal succession goes back from the first Obispo Maximo Gregorio Aglipay.

The Philippine Independent Church is considered the most tangible product of the 1898 Revolution against Spain.

Rise of nationalism

At the end of the 19th century, Filipino nationalism emerged, preceding the struggles of other colonized countries in Asia such as India and French Indochina, and the fight for independence gave way to revolution. Spain's last remaining colonies in the Americas, Cuba and Puerto Rico, were in the process of breaking away at the same time. With the execution of prominent ethnic Filipino clergy such as Fr. José Burgos at the hands of the Spanish royal authorities, church reforms became a facet of the Philippine independence movement.

Colonial church

Whereas many Spanish friars protested abuses by the Spanish government and military, other friars were committing many abuses. Many Filipinos were enraged when Spanish friars blocked the ascent of the Filipino clergy in the Catholic Church hierarchy. Vast lands were claimed as friars' estates from landless farmers. There were also widely known cases of sexual abuse of women by priests. Anak ni Padre Dámaso (Child of Father Dámaso, alluding to a character in one of Rizal's novels) has become a cliché or stereotype to refer to an illegitimate child, especially that of a priest. The death of Fr. José Burgos, Fr. Zamora, and Fr. Gomez is said to have indirectly ignited the Philippine revolution and had a profound effect on Dr. José Rizal.

Gregorio Aglipay

Gregorio Aglipay in his youth before excommunication

File:Bust of Gregorio Aglipay.jpg

A Bust of Gregorio Aglipay in the Parish of Saint William in Laoag City.

Gregorio Aglipay was an activist Catholic priest from Ilocos Norte who, despite his intercession and defense of some of the Spanish Catholic clergy from liberal-nationalist Filipino revolutionaries, was excommunicated by the Vatican for inciting rebellion within the Filipino clergy. During the brief interlude between independence from the Spanish and the subsequent reoccupation by the Americans, Isabelo de los Reyes (also known as Don Belong) and Aglipay reformed the Filipino Catholic clergy into the Philippine Independent Church, officially established in 1902. The new church absolutely rejected the spiritual authority of the Pope (then Pope Leo XIII) and abolished the celibacy requirement from its clergy, allowing marriage among its priests, who were all former Catholic priests.

The church drew concepts of theology and worship from the Masonic Code and much of its support and inspiration from Miguel Morayta, the grand master of the Spanish Orient Lodge of Freemasonry in Madrid. Aglipay was also a Mason. The case with Morayta and other non-Filipino laymen who pushed Aglipay toward schism was merely motivation by hatred toward the friars and/or the Catholic Church rather than any kind of nationalism.

Later on, the new independent Church reformed the traditional Catholic Latin Tridentine liturgy drastically after the model of the Anglican vernacular reform. The Eucharist has been said in Spanish (sometimes: Portuguese) since the early days of the church.

While visiting other churches while travelling abroad, Aglipay rejected the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity, becoming theologically Unitarian, however the church refused to accepted his amended theology. Aglipay's unitarian and progressive theological ideas were evident in his novenary, Pagsisiyam sa Birhen sa Balintawak, 1925 and its English translation, Novenary of the Motherland, 1926.

Factionalism and current state

File:IFI-UODsmaller.JPG

Iglesia Filipina Indpendiente - Union Obrera Democratica Filipina poster of Gregorio Aglipay and Don Isabelo "Don Belong" de los Reyes, the founders of the Aglipayan Church

Winning large numbers of adherents in its early years because of its nationalist roots, Aglipayan numbers decreased due to factionalism and doctrinal disagreements. Some factions, tending towards more radical cryptoprotestant reforms, formally joined other denominations including the Episcopal Church and the American Unitarians. The definitive growth limiting factor was the decision of the American government after the Spanish-American War to award the seized Catholic church buildings of the nascent Philippine Independent Church - the majority of which had become Aglipayan during the revolutionary period - to the Roman Catholic Church.

Today, the Philippine Independent Church is affiliated with the Old Catholics and the Anglican Communion. Aglipayans number around 3 million, mostly in the Ilocos Region. They constitute about 4% of the total population of the Philippines, while 82% of the population are members of the Catholic Church.

Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church), an independent church, has Concordat relationships with the Anglican provinces and the Old Catholic Church. Its members are currently spread throughout the Philippines, the United States and Canada. The spiritual head is called Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop). His Eminence Godofredo J. David, is the incumbent and the 11th Obispo Maximo.

Most of the members of the church, like the founders Aglipay and De Los Reyes, are activists, often involved in progressive groups as they advocate for nationalism, anti-imperialism, democracy, as well as opposing extrajudicial killings. They have been victims of forced disappearances and been branded as leftist by the government for being aligned with progressive groups, specifically after Obispo Maximo IX Alberto Ramento was killed for being an anti-government critic.

In 2002 Aglipayan bishops registered their objection to the presence of U.S. Special Forces troops in the Philippines.

Notable Aglipayans

The Official Seal of the Diocese of Laoag.

• Most Reverend Gregorio Aglipay y Labayan, Obispo Maximo I - first Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop)
• Don Isabelo "Don Belong" de los Reyes - co-founder of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente; translator of the first Filipino Bible.
• Rep. Crispin S. Beltran - Philippine party-list representative, civil rights activist; died when he fell from the roof of his house.
• Most Reverend Alberto Ramento y Baldovino, Obispo Maximo IX - former Obispo Maximo of the IFI Church who was killed for being an anti-government critic in 2007; an active campaigner against Human Rights Violation in the Philippines.
• Most Reverend Santiago Antonio Fonacier y Suguitan, Obispo Maximo II - second Obispo Maximo of the Aglipayan Church, a writer known for translating Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in Ilocano.
• Atty. José Garvida Flores - a prolific and patriotic Ilocano/Ilokano writer and playwright from Bangui, Ilocos Norte who composed "Filipinas Nadayag a Filipinas" which is sung during ceremonies of Iglesia Filipina Independiente.Revere
• Most Rev. Soliman Ganno y Flores successfully solicited funds creating The IFI Cathedral of The Holy Child and he became its first Dean. He was installed IFI Supreme Bishop thereat in 1987, but his term was unexpectedly cut short when he had heart failure one early morning at the altar of the Cathedral in 1989.
• Bayani Fernando - former chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority.

Former

• President Ferdinand E. Marcos - a former Aglipayan who was born in the church, but converted to Catholicism.

List of Obispos Maximos from 1902 to 2006

The Parish of Saint William in the Diocese of Laoag. The parish also stands as the Cathedral of the City.

1. The Most Rev. Gregorio Aglipay y Labayan- First Obispo Maximo from 1902–1940
2. The Most Rev. Santiago Antonio Fonacier y Suguitan- from 1940–1946
3. The Most Rev. Gerardo Bayaca y Medina- 1946
4. The Most Rev. Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr.y Lopez- from 1946–1971
5. The Most Rev. Macario Ga y Vilches- from 1971–1981
6. The Most Rev. Abdias dela Cruz y Rebantad- from 1981–1987
7. The Most Rev. Soliman Ganno y Flores- from 1987–1989
8. The Most Rev. Tito Pasco y Esquillo- from 1989–1993
9. The Most Rev. Alberto Ramento y Baldovino- from 1993–1999
10. The Most Rev. Tomas Millamena y Amabran- from 1999–2005
11. The Most Rev. Godofredo David y Juico- from 2005–present

List of Dioceses

Under the Obispo Maximo

• Cavite - The Right Reverend Peter Ojascastro
• LUISA - under Obispo Maximo
• MAQUEBACA - The Right Reverend Ruel Arevalo
• Masbate- under Obispo Maximo
• Negros Occidental - Under Obispo Maximo
• Palawan - under Obispo Maximo
• Santiago City - under Obispo Maximo
• Tarlac - under Obispo Maximo
• Laguna - The Right Reverend Tomas A. Millamena, D.D.

Under Other Bishops

Template:Multicol THE NORTH LUZON CONFERENCE [NCL] North Luzon Bishops Conference: Chairperson, Bp. Ernesto Tamayo

• Laoag - Bp. Emiliano Domingo

            Cathedral of St. William the Hermit
            Loag City

• Batac - Bp. Rosario S. Acoba

            Aglipay National Shrine
            Batac, ilocos Norte

• Tarlac - Bp. Emmanuel Sampayan

Cathedral of st. Sebastian

             Tarlac City

• Nueva Vizcaya & Quirino-under Obispo Maximo

             Cathedral of St. Louis Beltran
             Solano, 3709 Nueva Vizcaya

• Tuguegarao-Bp. Ernesto M. Tamayo

               Cathedral of St. Hyacinth
               Tuguegarao City

• Zambales - Bp. Generoso A. Rosales

               Cathedral of St. Roche
               San Felipe, 2205 Zambales

• Dagupan -Bp. Hermogenes M. Ranche

             Pro-Cathedral of St. Joseph, SVM
             16 Avenida Rizal West, Lingayen, Pangasinan

• Eastern Pangasinan - under the Obispo Maximo

                      Pro-Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua 
                      Poblacion, Rosales, Pangasinan

• Santiago - under Obispo Maximo

               Cathedral of St. James the Greater
               271 Arellano St., Dubinan East, 3311 Santiago City	

• Nueva Ecija - Bp. Warlito Baldomero

                  Pro-Cathedral of St. Jerome
                  Baloc, Sto. Domingo, 3133 Nueva Ecija

• LUISA - under Obispo Maximo

            Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
            Sevilla, Sta. Cruz, 2713 Ilocos Sur

THE SOUTH CENTRAL LUZON CONFERENCE (SCL) South Central Luzon Bishops Conference: Chairperson, Bp. Gregorio R. delos Reyes

• Bataan and Bulacan - under Obispo Maximo

                  Cathedral of the Concepcion of Mary
                  F. Estrella St., Sto. Rosario, 3000 Malolos City

• Greater Manila - Bp.Gregorio de los Reyes

                     Parish of Maria Clara (Shrine of Birhen Balintawak)
                     1320 V. concepcion St., Sta. Cruz, Manila

• Rizal & Pampanga -Bp. Joselito T. Cruz

                      Cathedral of Sto. Nino
                      241 Aglipay St., Poblacion, Mandaluyong City 

• Laguna - The Most Rev. Tomas A. Millamena, D.D.

             Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
             J.P. rizal St., Pagsanjan, Laguna

• Cavite - Bp. Pedro C. Ojascastro

             Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel & All Angels
             H. Rubio St., Digman, Bacoor City

• MAQUEBACA - Bp. Rowel S. Arevalo

                Parish of St. Joseph the Worker
                Poblacion, Gasan, Marinduque	

• Romblon & Mindoros-Bp. Ronelio V. Fabriquer

                       Cathedral of St. Vincent Ferrer
                       Odiongan, 5505 Romblon

• Palawan - under Obispo Maximo

              Pro-Cathedral Sts. Peter & Paul
              San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City

VISAYAS CONFERENCE Visayas Bishops Conference: Chairperson, Bp. Felomino Ang

• Cebu and Bohol - Bp. Vic Esclamado (OIC)

                         Cathedral of the Sto. Nino
                         49 A. Mabini St., Cebu City

• Masbate - Bp. Alger Loyao

              Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Remedies
              Placer, 5408 Masbate
              	

• Negros Oriental & Siquijor - Bp. David M. Ga

                                 Pro- Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle
                                 Aldecoa Ave., Daro, Dumaguete City

• BILLESA - Bp. Vic A. Esclamado, D.D.

              Cathedral of St. James the Greater
              Sta. Sofia St., Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte

• Aklan & Capiz - The Most Rev. Abdias R. dela Cruz, D.D.

                    Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
                    Ochando, New Washington, Aklan

• Antique - Bp. Leon T. Estrella

              Cathedral of Our Lady of Purity & Candles
              Poblacion, Belison, 5701 Antique

• Negros Occidental- Bp. Felomino Ang

                       Pro-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
                       Bago City, 

• Iloilo - Bp. Gaspar D. Bañes

             Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace & Good Voyage
             Jereos St., La paz District, Iloilo City

• Guimaras - Bp. Bartolome Espartero

               Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvacion
               Salvacion, Buenavista, Guimaras

MINDANAO CONFERENCE Mindanao Bishops Conference (MINBISCON): Chairperson, Bp. Felixberto Calang

• MOBUCA - Bp. Felixberto L. Calang

         Metropolitan Cathedral of Jesus the Nazarene
         Pabayao & Pacana Sts. Cagayan de Oro City

• CARAGA - Bp. Denny D. Dapitan

             Cathedral of Our Lady of Presentacion
             Cabadbaran, 8605 Agusan del Norte

• Surigao - Bp. Rhee M. Timbang

              Cathedral of the Transfiguration
              Km.2, National Road, 8400 Surigao City

• Western Mindanao - Bp. Pablito Jarantilla (on leave)

                       Bp. Rhee Timbang
                       Cathedral of the Conception of Mary
                       J. Luna St., 7200 Ozamis City

• Southern Mindanao - Bp. Delfin Callao, Jr.

                        Cathedral of the Risen Lord
                        Cor. F. Torres & Tuvera Sts., 8000 Davao City

• Libetad - The Right Rev. Rudy Juliada

              Cathedral of St. Matthew
              Poblacion, Libetad, Misamis Oriental

• Pagadian - Bp. Denny Dapitan (OIC)

               Cathedral of the Sto. Nino
               Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur

• Koronadal - Bp. Delfin Callao, Jr. (OIC)

                Cathedral of the Holy Family
                Cor. Osmena & Peredes Sts., Koronadal City

• United States & Canada - Bp. Raul C. Tobias

                             Cathedral of the Sto. Nino
                             6301 W. olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, 
                             California, USA

National Cathedral and specially assigned clergy under OM The Most Rev. Godofredo J. David

Previous Bishops

Bishop Juan P. Quijano

Women of the Philippine Independent Church (WOPIC)

Gardeopatra G. Quijano - President (1975–1977)

Churches in full communion

Old Catholics

• Old Catholic Churches (Union of Utrecht)

Reformed Churches

• Marthoma Malankara Syrian Church of Malabar

Anglican Communion

• Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA)
• Church of the Province of West Indies
• Church of the Province of Central Africa
• Church of the Province of West Africa
• Church of the Province of East Africa
• Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (today Church of North India)
• Church of South India
• Nippon Sei Ko Kai
• Church of Ireland
• Lusitanian Church

• Church of England
• Episcopal Church in Scotland
• Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)
• Anglican Church of Australia
• Church of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi
• Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church
• Church of the Province of South Africa
• Church of the Province of New Zealand
• Church of Melanesia (COM)
• Episcopal Church of Brazil
• Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP)

IFI, by virtue of its concordat relations with the Anglican Churches, is given the privilege to send delegates to the Council of Churches of East Asia (CCEA) as organized by the Anglican Provinces in East Asia in 1962. Since 1964, the IFI Bishops have also been regular members of the international Anglican gathering, the Lambeth Conference.

Other Concordat Churches worldwide

• Church of Sweden

References

Struggle for Freedom: The Philippine Independent Church. Lewis Bliss Whittemore. Greenwich, CT: SPCK, 1961.

External links

• IFI Home – Official website of Iglesia Filipina Independiente