SEPARATION OF

CHURCH AND STATE

Filipino political philosopher, Apolinario
Mabini
Towards the End

Towards the end of

revolution, Mabini and
Don Emilio Aguinaldo
worked on the
institutionalization of the
First Republic and
government transition.
Mabini , and other
revolutionaries working
for the revolutionary
 Art. 12 of Mabini’s Programa Constitucional
states:

“ The Republic as a collective entity does not

profess any specific religion, leaving to the
consciences of individuals the full liberty of
choosing that one which appears to them the
most worthy and reasonable. No one will be
molested within Philippine territory for his
religious opinions or the exercise of his
respective worship, except when it violates
universal morality. Nevertheless, public
manifestations regarding religion cannot be
Comparison between Spanish
Constitution and Mabini‟s
Constitutional Program
Mabini’s Programa Spanish Constitution of
Constitucional 1876 (as found in Art.
11)
Universal morality Christian morality

The Republic does not The Catholic Apostolic

profess any specific Roman religion is that of
religion the State
Public manifestations No other public
regarding religion cannot manifestations will be
be held without permitted except those of
permission of local the religion of the State
CHURCH:FRIARS

 The Church in the Philippines was a Spanish

Church and it was united with the State.
 Political, socio and civil activities of the time
were deliberately controlled by the friars.
 People tend to identify the friars or priestly
class with the Church. (e.g. Augustinian,
Recolletos, Dominican)
 Church

FRIARS*

State

Friar scheme: a representation

Friars controlled the Church. Church is in unity of and influential to
the State. Having the position of privilege, the friars were able to
manipulate the State and control its affairs.
Why is the Church powerful and
influential?

The Church was powerful and influential to the

state because:
1. religious motive was primary in the colonization
of the Philippines; and
2. claim that the friars are the best people to uphold
Spanish integrity in the country
Revolution: an action against the friars

 The Spanish Church (friars) took a position

hostile to the revolution.
 The friars were political and intellectual
enemies of the state.
 The desire for freedom of the press,
speech, association and religion was simply
incompatible with the indefinite stay of the
friars in the country.
 The friars were consistent in their
opposition to the institution of above
 The friars perceived that reforms could lessen
the control of the system of the country and
also weaken their political power.
 The Church could no longer satisfy newly
arisen social needs. If these needs were to be
satisfied, radical attitude towards the Church
had to be first developed.
 It is thus patent that there was no middle
ground between the friars and revolutionists.
Separation of Church and State
 Physical separation (e.g. control
of education; no state money
would be used for the support of
the Church)
 Restriction formula (through

promulgating laws to restrict

activities of the Church and take
back affairs which were originally
It is not about..
 Separation of Church and State did not
advocate for anti-religion attitudes.
 Mabini‟s anti-clericalism never fought religion
as such and never meant to take away religion
to the people
Justification of the reasonability of the
Separation of Church an State

1. Principle of religious toleration

“What the people desire is that the
State as a moral entity… should not
profess any specific religion and
should allow the individuals full
liberty to choose the religion that
pleases them most; that it should not
oblige any inhabitant under physical
coercion to profess and support a
religion which he find repugnant to
his conscience; that it allow the
2. Friars as enemies of intellectual freedom
Spanish government in connivance
with the friars were responsible for the
„intellectual and physical isolation of
the Filipinos from the outside world.
For this, Mabini considered the Friars
as political and educational enemies
of the Filipinos. They taught
fanaticism, not relevant and inquisitive
State power was to be separate from the Church
power for Mabini feared that an increase in the
second might be accomplished at the expense
of the first
 Mabini‟s opposition to the provision of the separation
of church and state

Mabini‟s idea of a secular state is

well established in his writing and
constitutional draft. But his action
during the promulgation of the
Malolos Constitution is far
inconsistent.
 Opposing camps
Separation of the Church and
Unity of the Church and State
State

“Art. 5. The nation shall protect Sec. III. The State

the cult and the ministers of the
Roman Catholic Apostolic
Religion, which is the religion of
the State…”
Art. 6 Any other cult may be
recognizes the equality of
all religious worship and
the separation of the
Church and State.
 Unity of the Church  Separation of the
and State Church and State
 Felipe Calderon &  Tomas del Rosario &
Manuel Gomez Arcadio del Rosario
 The Catholic Church  Roman Catholic
is the cohesive force Apostolic religion
that bind all “become altered by
Filipinos, despite the passions of men,
linguistic and regional to the extent that it
groupings had bred intolerance
and religious wars…”
Mabini’s rationalization
 “it is not convenient to establish openly the
separation of Church and State during these
difficult times giving cause for the withdrawal
of the supporters of religion.” (La Revolucion
Filipina, p.231)
 Mabini considered the Filipino clergy and its
parishioners as members within the
revolutionary territory.
 “There is going now in Congress a
heated discussion on the religious
question. If you favor one group, the
other will withdraw its support of the
government. It is necessary that you
commission a Secretary to inform
Congress that as long as the situation
is not normalized they should not
discuss such problems. …If you accept
the unity of Church and State, those
men from whom you can expect more
Annexes: Church’s stand on the issue

1. Memorial del P. Garces by Mariano Garces

the doctrine of separation of Church and State was
“one of the errors of liberalism” and so, society
should have a religion
2. Memorial del P. Mariano Sevilla
It maintained that it is not rational to oppress the
Catholics in the country in the name of religious
liberty.
Result of Mabini‟s opposition
 Malolos Constitution provided a “Temporary
Article” for the implementation of Title 3.
“Temporary Art. 100: The execution of Article
5, Title 3 is hereby suspended until the meeting
of the constituent assembly. In the
meantime, the municipalities which require the
spiritual services of any Filipino priest, shall
provide for his necessary support.”
 Establishment of a National
Church
At any rate, the religious spirit could not
prevent the aspiration for a secular state. Yet
the religious spirit had to be satisfied. But it
had to be satisfied in a manner that neither
Spaniards nor friars would profit or take
advantage of it. This is the clue for the
understanding of the formation of the
National Church- a church that was
intended to be Catholic and keep the
religious faith of Filipinos bur which was
to have nothing to do with Spain or the
Spanish friars.
National Church
 envisioned that all the ecclesiastical offices of
the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines
were to be occupied by Filipino priests. All
bishops and acolytes were to be Filipinos and
no Spanish priest or foreign priest was to be
tolerated in any of the parishes in the
Philippines;
Why establish a National
Church?
Mabini‟s arguments:
1. “…an independent nation has the right that
one of its sons should be the chief
ecclesiastical superior within its own territory.”
(La Revolucion Filipina)
2. It was time for the Filipino priests to manage
their own affairs and to organize
themselves, especially sine the Archbishop of
Manila, being in territory held by
Americans, could not validly exercise his
jursidiction on revolutionary territory
(Organizacion del Cero Filipino)
Ends of adapting a National
Church
 Recognition of the significant role of the
Filipino clergy in both the reform revolution
 Recognition of religious sensibilities of the
majority of Filipinos
 protection of the gains of the Revolution and
the fear of reverting to certain institutional
patterns of the old regime
Who is Greorio Aglipay?

Appointed vicario general

castrence by Aguinaldo, a chief
chaplain of the Filipino armed
forces on Oct. 20, 1898;
Excommunicated member of the
Church;
Firm ally of the Revolutionary
Government; and
Leader of the Filipino priests
How was the formation initiated?

Aglipay‟s excommunication took up the

cause of Mabini to further alleniate the
Filipino priests from Spanish
ecclesiastical authorities.
 Mabini instructed Filipino

representatives abroad to induce the

Pope to name a Filipino bishop , and
warned the Pope that there was a
danger of schism in the Philippines
 The press was utilized to disseminate the
manifesto of Aglipay entitled, “Al Pueblo y
Clero Filipinos”
“The manifesto claimed that the Spanish
prelates made themselves enemies of the
people and even of the church by aligning
themselves with the friars- the enemies of the
Filipino priests and the people.”
Within the manifesto
“Friar Bernardino Nozaleda knows too well
that when the Revolution triumphs and the
Philippine independence is recognized, it
would be impossible for him to keep his former
authority because an independent nation has
the right to have one of its sons become the
supreme ecclesiastical superior within its own
territory”
Implication of the statements
 The secularization movement acquired a
nationalistic color the moment revolutionary,,
like Mabini took sides with the Filipino clergy.
The proponents of nationalism would have
wanted to nationalistic spirit to permeate the
spiritual sphere.
 Mabini’s rationalization to disobey Nozaleda

1. Nozaleda was incompetent to exercise

jurisdiction in the revolutionary
territories;
2. He was an enemy of the revolution

“ The Filipino clergy cannot recognize

as its chief the bloody enemy of the
Filipino people without antagonizing
them.” (La Revolucion Filipina, p.40)
3. The claim that Vatican would approve
all those actuations of the Filipino
 In conclusion, the Manifesto exhorted the
Filipino clergy to support the Holy War of
Independence, to inculcate the respect for
individul rights and the laws, to foster the love
of country and virtue, and to practice justice
and charity.
How was the formation to be created?

 Mabini prepared the document to be signed by

Filipino priest to elect a council to govern them
 He rationalized this step using 3 principles:

1. the Philippine Church, following the

annihilation of Spanish sovereignty in the
Philippines, needed bishops to govern it in the
name of the Pope;
2. the preservation of the Filipino church required
that Filipino priests take care of the spiritual
well-being of the Filipinos; and

3. the Philippine clergy had the right to assemble

at the earliest possible date to elect an
ecclesiastical chapter to govern it and
represent it in harmony with the phil.
Government
The Aftermath: success or failure?

 On October 23, 1899, the National Church was

established.
 When the Philippine republic was
destroyed, the National Church died.
If the National Church was
successful..
 Solved the struggle-of-power between the
friars and the Filipino priest through
Filipinization of the parishes and expulsion of
the friars.
 Attained the goal of the revolution to do away
with the Spanish Church and its traditional
prerogatives
 Thus, the secularization movement became a
success
(Negative) Political implication
 Mabini pointed out, the moment the Philippine
government treated the parishes in the same
manner as the Spanish government
considered them, the abuses done by the
friars would likewise be perpetuated by the
Filipino priests themselves.
(Positive) Political Implication
 The establishment of the Church was
supported by government for purposes of the
revolution. As the Church ensemble back its
control on its affairs and resources, it incurred
debt to the government and would need to pay
for secular support. In turn, the state would
exercise some form of police control over it.
The state could have the chance to manage
and restrict its prerogatives and prevent having
the same old church regime.
Actual Relations of the Filipino
clergy and Government
In some cases, actual interference with the
affairs of the clergy was necessary, to the
extent of legislating for the disposal of
parish funds.
Laws
 July 26, 1898 by  October 17, 1899 by
Aguinaldo- The Aguinaldo- The
heads of provinces clergy should not
are to call upon the meddle in civil or
patriotism of all military matters
Filipino clergy and  Jan. 1, 1899 by
their parishioners Aguinaldo- Any
that it is necessary religious association
to give absolute is… prohibited from
adhesion to the possessing real
revolutionary property exceeding
government 50,000 pesos in
value
 Oct. 20, 1898 by  June 24, 1899-
Aguinaldo- Priests Father Gregorio
nominated by the Aglipay is appointed
Archbishop of a commissioner of
Manila will not be the government to
recognized unless make careful
approved by this inspection of the
government. parish funds of
every town in Luzon.
 Aug. 10, 1899-
Parish funds and
cash belonging to
churches will be
invested in the
national loan.
 The relations between the Filipino clergy and
the government of the revolution was
perceived in a realist perspective.
 Through legislation of laws that the Filipino
clergy had some of its functions and
prerogatives restricted, and divested to civil
authorities.
Secular Values must be
developed
True Decalogue
civic religion
Secular nationalism
National community
Freedom of religion
Liberalism and democracy