Philippine Independent Church

Gregorio Aglipay in his youth before excommunication.

Gregorio Aglipay was an activist and a Roman Catholic priest from Ilocos Norte who would later be excommunicated by then Archbishop of Manila Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa for fomenting schism with the Pope. During the Philippine Revolution, Isabelo de los Reyes (also known as Don Belong) and Aglipay acted to reform the Filipino Catholic clergy. Aglipay was the convener of the Filipino Ecclesiastical Council (Paniqui Assembly), in response to Mabini's manifesto urging the Filipino clergy to organize a Filipino national Church. He was a member of the Malolos Congress, the lone member coming from the religious sector, although he also represented Ilocos Norte. He was a guerilla leader of Ilocos Norte during the Philippine–American War with the rank of lieutenant general. Following the Philippine–American War, Aglipay and De los Reyes founded the Philippine Independent Church in 1902. 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.[8] Aglipay became a Mason in 1918.[9] 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.[8]

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.

Visiting other churches while traveling abroad, Aglipay developed his theology, coming to reject the divinity of Jesus and the concept of the Trinity and becoming theologically Unitarian. Other IFI officials refused to accept this revised theology. Aglipay's unitarian, rationalist, and progressive theological ideas were evident in the church's Catecismo (1905)[10] and Oficio Divino (1906),[11] and in his novena, Pagsisiyam sa Birhen sa Balintawak, 1925[12] and its English translation, Novenary of the Motherland (1926).[13]

Winning large numbers of adherents in its early years because of its nationalist roots, 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.

In 1961, the IFI joined the Anglican Communion and its bishops were re-consecrated into the historic succession of the Anglican line.

Today, Aglipayans in the Philippines claim to number at least 6 to 8 million members, with most from the northern part of Luzon, especially in the Ilocos Region, the province of Zambales, the Southern Luzon province of Cavite, parts of Visayas like the provinces of Antique, Iloilo and Guimaras, and in the Northern Mindanaon province of Misamis Occidental. Congregations are also found throughout the Philippine diaspora in North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. The church is the second-largest single Christian denomination in the country after the Roman Catholic Church (some 80.2% of the population), comprising about 6.7% of the total population of the Philippines. By contrast, the 2010 Philippine census recorded only 916,639 members in the country, or about 1% of the population.

Some of the members of the church, like the founders Aglipay and De los Reyes, are political activists, often involved in progressive groups and advocating nationalism, anti-imperialism, democracy, as well as opposing extrajudicial killings. They have often been victims of forced disappearances and been branded as leftist by the government for being aligned with progressive groups, specifically after Obispo Máximo IX Alberto Ramento was killed in 2006 for being an anti-government critic.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente maintains the historic threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons. Bishops of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente derive their apostolic succession from the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, which was first bestowed on April 7, 1948. The Iglesia Filipina Independiente ordains women. The Church allows its priests to marry, rejecting mandatory clerical celibacy. In May 2019 Emelyn Dacuycuy became the first woman to be ordained bishop in the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.[14][15]

The main Sunday liturgy is the Eucharist or the Holy Mass, which is said in the vernacular. The Eucharistic liturgy of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente resembles that of the Roman Missal, with elements taken from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, such as the Collect for Purity, the positioning of the Peace before the Offertory, the Eucharistic Prayers, and the Prayer of Humble Access. Orders of service and ceremonies are contained in the Filipino Ritual and Filipino Missal. Aglipayans believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and Communion is distributed under both kinds. Being a nationalist church, Aglipayans employ Filipino national symbols in their liturgical practices, such as the use of national colors and motifs, as well as the singing of the national anthem, and the displaying of the Philippine Flag in the sanctuary.

Aglipayan bishops 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.

The Philippine Independent Church has had a history of violence against members of the LGBT community. However, in the early 21st century, the church position changed dramatically to an extent where the church leadership apologized through an official statement to the LGBT community. The church recognized that it has "shown indifference, and have made the LGBT people feel less human, discriminated against and stigmatized". The statement – dubbed "Our Common Humanity, Our Shared Dignity" – stresses the church's position that it "must openly embrace God's people of all sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions".[16]

The apology statement's groundwork first came up in 2014, when a gay man articulated during the church plenary his query about the church's plans for sexual minorities. This led to discussions among the newly elected set of national youth officers, led by an openly gay president and a lesbian executive vice president, which would later be succeeded by another openly gay president. The church position on LGBT persons was officially adopted by the entire church in February 2017.[16]

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente has a strong tradition of authority belonging to the entire people of God. This conciliar nature of authority in the Church is expressed in the General Assembly where the clergy and laity are both represented.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente is a Church that is governed synodically. It has the General Assembly as the highest governing and policy-making body that regularly convenes every three years. It consists of all bishops, two priests in active duty, and three and three delegates representing the men, women, and youth from every diocese elected in a convention, as provided in Sections 1 and 2, Article II, of its Constitution.

The General Assembly operates as a synod through which the ordained and non-ordained share the responsibility of witnessing to the apostolic faith by virtue of their common baptism. It serves as the governing body of the Church in fulfilling the mission entrusted by God, in safeguarding the unity and continuity of the apostolic faith, and in guiding the faithful in the fulfillment of their baptismal covenant. It is thus the final authority in all matters affecting the life, order and discipline of the Church.

In the spirit of consultation, the General Assembly tackles complex and contentious issues and matters that touch on the institutional components of the Church that have to do with governance, policies, and programs. On the whole, the General Assembly:

• receives the address of the Obispo Maximo
• acts upon the decisions of the Executive Commission
• receives report of the General Treasurer
• receives reports of the Commission on Business and Finance (CBF) and the Commission on Programs and Projects (COPP)
• receives reports of the Supreme Council of Bishops, Council of Priests and National Lay Council
• approves the program of the Church
• approve the triennial budget
• elects the Executive Commission and the national officers of the Standing Commission

There are six commissions that promote the enduring concerns in the various aspects of the life of the Church, with each composed of people with expertise in the particular areas. The Commissions are primarily recommendatory in nature in terms of formulation of policies, which are subject to the final approval of the Executive Commission and the General Assembly of the Church.

• Commission on Business and Finance
• Commission on Programs and Projects
• Commission on Education and Ministry
• Commission on Liturgy and Music
• Commission on Mission and Evangelism
• Commission on Ecumenical Relations and International Affairs

The church has three important councils that are represented in the General Assembly. These are the Supreme Council of Bishops, the Council of Priests and the National Lay Council. These play important leadership roles in setting the direction of the church and in pursuing institutional development for the work of mission.

• Supreme Council of Bishops

The Supreme Council of Bishops (SCB), which consists of all serving and retired bishops, defines the doctrines of the Church, adopts and prescribes official liturgical rites, and gives pastoral and moral guidance to the faithful.

• Council of Priests

The Council of Priests is composed of all priest-delegates to the General Assembly. It elects a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and a Secretary for an office of three years. The Council of Priests promotes the welfare of priests and represents their concerns to the General Assembly.

• National Lay Council

The National Lay Council is composed of the men, women and youth delegates of every diocese represented in the General Assembly. It works to promote and enhance the participation of the laity in the governance and general affairs of the Church.

Youth of Iglesia Filipina Independiente Logo

There are three sectoral organizations of the laity in the Church. These are the Youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (YIFI), the Women of the Philippine Independent Church (WOPIC) and the Laymen of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (LIFI).

The sectoral organizations are each governed by their respective constitution and by-laws, have their own sets of elected officers, and are organized at the national, diocesan and parish levels.

The youth, women, and men of the sectoral organizations are represented to the General Assembly through the National Lay Council.

The Cathedral of the Holy Child in Ermita, Manila is the National Cathedral of the Philippine Independent Church, and the seat of the Obispo Máximo. Designed by architect Carlos Arguelles, construction of the church began in 1964 and was inaugurated on May 8, 1969, on the occasion of the 109th birth anniversary of its first Obispo Máximo, Gregorio Aglipay.[17] The church is made largely of bare concrete and wood and has been noted for having a suspended block with sloping trapezoidal walls and textured with horizontal grooves all throughout, suspended with a triangular block.[18]

The María Clara Church in Santa Cruz, Manila, was originally built as a wooden structure in 1923 before it was expanded and becoming concrete structure in the 1950s. When the original cathedral of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in Tondo was destroyed during World War II, the María Clara Church became the temporary office of the Obispo Máximo before relocating in 1969 to the present Cathedral of the Holy Child.[17]

It was the also home parish of the fourth Obispo Máximo, Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr., where he was ordained as a priest in 1923, and elected Supreme Bishop in 1946.

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  Cathedral of St. William, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
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  Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, Doña Maria Clara Memorial Church, Camiling, Tarlac
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  Parish of the Virgin of the Assumption in Maragondon, Cavite
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  Cathedral of San Roque, San Felipe, Zambales
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  Cathedral of the Holy Child, Pandacan, Manila
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  Cathedral of St. Vincent Ferrer, J.P. Rizal St., Tabin-dagat (Poblacion), Odiongan, Romblon
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  Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Bago City, Negros Occidental
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  Cathedral of Our Lady of Providence and Guide, Albasan, Numancia, Aklan
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  Cathedral of St. Mary, Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental
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  Cathedral of the Holy Child, Dapa, Surigao del Norte
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  Cathedral of Jesus of Nazareth, Tampa, Florida, United States of America