Philippine Independent Church

Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church
Philippine Independent Church
Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Spanish)
Malayang Simbahan ng Pilipinas (Filipino)
ᜋᜎᜌᜅ᜔ ᜐᜒᜋ᜔ᜊᜑᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜉᜒᜎᜒᜉᜒᜈᜐ᜔
AbbreviationIFI, PIC
TypeChristian (Western)
ClassificationCatholicity, Protestantism (earliest years[a])
OrientationMix of Independent Catholic, Anglo-Catholic,[1] Nationalist, Progressive,[2][3] Liberal
ScriptureBible (GNB, MBB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, IFI Centennial Bible)[4]
TheologyTrinitarian[b] (with theological and doctrinal identity based from the Chalcedonian,[5] Anglican, and Catholic theology), Independent Catholic doctrine
PolityEpiscopal
GovernanceSynod (General Assembly)
StructureCommunion
Supreme
Bishop
Joel O. Porlares
General
Secretary
Dindo D. Ranojo
Supreme Council of
Bishops Chairperson
Joselito T. Cruz
Administration
  • The IFI General Assembly
  • IFI Executive Commission
Dioceses
  • Local dioceses: 48 (clustered into regional bishops conferences)
  • Overseas dioceses: 2
  • Total: 50
  • Overseas organized congregations: 4
Associations
Full communionSee list
RegionPhilippines
North America
Europe
Middle East
East Asia
Southeast Asia
Pacific Islands
LanguageFilipino (lingua franca), Native Philippine regional languages, English, Spanish, Latin
LiturgyThe Filipino Ritual and The Filipino Missal by Iglesia Filipina Independiente, 1961[10]
HeadquartersIglesia Filipina Independiente National Cathedral of the Holy Child
#1500 Taft Avenue,
Ermita, Manila, Philippines
Founder
OriginAugust 3, 1902 (1902-08-03)
Quiapo, Manila, Philippine Islands
IndependenceFrom the See of Rome:
Since the 20th century; 121 years ago (Autocephalous Filipino leadership since)
Separated fromRoman Catholic Church
Separations
  • Iglesia de la Libertad
    (1938, small minority)[11][12][13]
  • Independent Church of Filipino Christians / Aglipay Memorial Church (ICFC / AMC)
    (1955, small minority)
  • Church Body of Christ – Filipinista
    (1966, small minority)
  • Holy Catholic Apostolic Christian Church (HCAC)
    (1966, small minority)[12][11]
  • Philippine Independent Catholic Church (Iglesia Catolica Filipina Independiente) – PICC/ICFI[c]
    (1981)[14][15]
  • Aglipayan Christian Church Inc. (Legion of Mary)
    (1995, small minority)[16]
  • 63rd and Mothers Apostolic Church of the Philippines
    (2000s faction, small minority)
  • At least 30 other "Aglipayan" offshoots, breakaway factions, sects, and splinter groups all over the Philippines not in communion with the IFI, which is the legally-declared "mother church"[17]
Members1,458,992 (2020 census)[18]
7 million (WCC 2023 estimate)[6]
Aid organization
  • IFI – Task Force on Emergency Relief (IFI–TFER)
  • IFI Concern and Advocacy for Relief & Resiliency, Empowerment, and Sustainability (IFI CARES)
Seminaries2 (plus 1 joint seminary with the Episcopal Church in the Philippines)
Other name(s)
  • Aglipayan Church
  • "Mother Aglipayan Church"
  • "Mainstream/Mainline Aglipayan Church"
  • "Native Filipino Catholic Church"
Publications
  • The Christian Register
  • The Sower
Official websitewww.ifi.org.ph
SloganLatin: Pro Deo et Patria
Slogan/Mottos in English: "For God and Fatherland - Scripture, Charity, Knowledge, Liberty"
Official flag of the IFI
Official flag of the IFI

The Philippine Independent Church (officially in Spanish: Iglesia Filipina Independiente; Filipino/Tagalog: Malayang Simbahan ng Pilipinas; Ilocano: Nawaya a Simbaan ti Filipinas; Latin: Lībera Ecclēsia Philippīna; and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, IFI, and PIC) is an independent[d] Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the Philippines.[e] Its schism from the Roman Catholic Church was proclaimed during the American colonial period in 1902, following the end of the Philippine–American War, by members of the Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina due to the pronounced mistreatment towards the Filipinos by Spanish priests, and partly influenced by the unjust executions of José Rizal and Filipino priests and prominent secularization movement figures Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora,[21][22] during earlier Spanish colonial rule wherein Roman Catholicism was the state religion in the country at the time.

Prolific Filipino historian Teodoro Agoncillo described the Philippine Independent Church as "the only living and tangible result of the Philippine Revolution."[23][24] Ever since its inception, the IFI/PIC Aglipayanism[f] is widely characterized as a schismatic, rather than a heretical movement, although the church itself and its congregation distance themselves from the "schismatic" description and prefers the term "independence" instead. Despite not being in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, the Philippine Independent Church universally maintains and adheres to the core set of beliefs and practices of catholicity.[25][26]

The Philippine Independent Church is the country's first and oldest wholly Filipino-led independent Christian church. Its central office is located at the National Cathedral of the Holy Child in Ermita, Manila. It is ecumenically in full communion with the worldwide Anglican Communion, the third largest Christian communion in the world, while still maintaining its independence as per their concordat and does not require from either the acceptance of all doctrinal opinions. Although marked with Anglican influence, the Philippine Independent Church had come to develop its own liturgy, traditions, and theology distinct from Anglicanism.[14][27]


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference anglo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference transdeacon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Statement on Ministry". IFI official. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Smit, Peter-Ben (2021). "The Bible in the Iglesia Filipina Independiente". Philippine Studies. 69 (3): 457–480. doi:10.1353/phs.2021.0017. hdl:1871.1/be601a0b-d1ce-46e2-ae55-a7a54b0ef9a8. S2CID 241953710. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  5. ^ Smit, Peter-Ben; Suter, Adrian (June 13, 2021). "Chalcedon on the Road to Justice and Peace (The Case of the Mar Thoma–Old Catholic Dialogue)". The Ecumenical Review. 73 (2): 261–280. doi:10.1111/erev.12599. hdl:2263/87881. S2CID 236735390. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Philippine Independent Church". World Council of Churches. January 1958. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference USPG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Council of Churches of East Asia – Anglican Communion News Service". December 3, 2022.
  10. ^ Alviar, Vaughn (August 1, 2015). "Iglesia Filipina Independiente unveils liturgical book in Filipino". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference IL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b "VALID BAPTISMS RECOGNIZED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE PHILIPPINES" (PDF). Archdiocese of Palo. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference factions was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference ACC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ MGA BATA NGA NAKASUTANA, TRENDING SA SOCIAL MEDIA (in Cebuano). 104.1 THE ROCK RADIO. January 14, 2021. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Mapa, Dennis S. (February 22, 2023). "Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)". Philippine Statistics Authority (Press release). Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "Religion: The Aglipayans". Time. June 12, 1950. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Philippines". U.S. Department of State. OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. June 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  21. ^ Umali, Justin (March 9, 2020). "How the First Filipino Church Was Born: The Iglesia Filipina Independiente". Esquire Philippines. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  22. ^ Umali, Justin (February 17, 2020). "How the Death of Gomburza Led to a Wholly Filipino Church". Esquire Philippines. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Remollino, Alexander Martin (October 21, 2006). "Iglesia Filipina Independiente: A Revolutionary Heritage". Bulatlat. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Agoncillo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference JSTORBelieve was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nallos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference episcopalfull was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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