Christianity: Details about 'Philippine Independent Church'
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The Philippine Independent Church, officially the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) in Spanish, is a Christian denomination of the Catholic tradition in the form of a national church. It is better known as the Aglipayan Church after its founder, Gregorio Aglipay. Since 1965 it has been part of the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht Association of Churches.
Rise of NationalismAt the end of the 19th century, Filipino nationalism emerged, preceding the struggles of other colonized countries in Asia such as British India and French Indochina, and the fight for independence gave way to revolution. Latin American countries at this were also breaking away from Spain. With the execution of prominent Filipino clergy such as Fr. José Burgos at the hands of the Spanish authorities, church reforms became a facet of the Philippine independence movement. Colonial ChurchAlthough many Spanish friars protested abuses by the Spanish government and military, they themselves committed many abuses. Many Filipinos were enraged when Spanish friars blocked the ascent of highly trained 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) 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 AglipayGregorio Aglipay was an activist priest from Ilocos Norte that, despite his intercession and defense of the Spanish clergy from 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 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. Later on, the new Church reformed the traditional Catholic Latin liturgy drastically after the model of the Anglican vernacular reform. The Eucharist has been said in Portuguese for already more than one hundred years in the IFI. Factionalism and Current stateWinning large numbers of adherents in its early years because of its nationalist roots, Aglipayan numbers decreased due to factionalism and doctrinal disagreements. Some factions formally joined other denominations including the Episcopal Church and the American Unitarians. Today, the Philippine Independent Church are affiliated with the Old Catholics and the Anglican Communion. Aglipayans number around one to three million, mostly in the Ilocos Region. They make about 3 % of the total population of the Philippines, while 83 % of the population is a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church) has Concordat relationships with the Anglican provinces and the Old Catholic Church. IFI is an independent church and will remain independent. Its members are currently spread throughout the Philippines, the United States and Canada. The spiritual head is caled Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop). His Eminence Godofredo J. David, is the incumbent and the 11th Obispo Maximo.
Philippine Independent Church
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