Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/40

 PHILIPPINE

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PHILIPPINE

gated to himself the title of " Pontifex Maximus ", and through friendship or fear drew to his allegiance some native priests. Those of the latter who were his friends he nominated "bishops". Simeon Mandac, one of the two lay pillars of the movement, is now serving a term of twenty years in the penitentiary for murder and rebellion. At first the schism seemed to make headway in the north, chiefly for political reasons. With the restoration of the churches under order of the Supreme Court in 1906-07 the schism began to dwindle, and its adherents are now inconsiderable.

Religious Policy of the Governme/it. — Freedom of worship and separation of Church and State is a prin- ciple of the American Government. In a countrj' where there was the strictest union of Church and

RRECTION

State for more than three centuries, this policy is not without serious difficulties. At times ignorant offi- cials may act as if the Church must be separated from her rights as a lawful corporation existing in the State. In some such way as this several Catholic churches were seized, with the connivance or the open consent of municipal officers, by adherents of the Aglipayano sect. It required time and considerable outlay of money for the Church to regain possession of her property through the courts. And even then the aggressors often succeeded in damaging as much as possible the church buildings or its belongings before surrendering them. There is no distinction or privilege accorded clergymen, except that they are precluded from being municipal councillors. However; "there shall be exempt from taxation burying grounds, churches and their adjacent parsonages or convents, and lands and buildings used exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, or educational purposes and not for private profit". This does not apply to land or buildings owned by the Church to procure revenue for rehgious i)urposes, e. g. the support of a hospital, orphan asylum, etc., so that glebe land is taxable. The only cxiiption made in the matter of free imports for churih purposes is that Bibles and hymn books are admitted free of duty. Practically everything

needed in the services of the Catholic Church, vest- ments, sacred vessels, altars, statues, pictures, etc. pay duty, if such goods are not purchased from or manufactured in the United States. Religious cor- porations or associations, of whatever sect or denom- ination, were authorized to hold land by an act of the commission passed in October, 1901.

In April, 1906, the law of corporations came into force. Under this Act (no. 1459) a bishop, chief priest, or presiding elder of any rehgious denomination, can become a corporation sole by filing articles of in- corporation holding property in trust for the denom- ination. Authority is also given to any religious society or order, or any diocese, synod, or organization to incorporate under specified conditions to administer its temporalities. The same act empowers colleges and institutes of learning to incorporate. All ceme- teries are under the control of the Bureau of Health. By an Act passed in Feb., 1906, existing cemeteries and burial grounds were to be closed unless authorized by the director of health; municipalities were em- powered, subject to the same authority, to set apart land for a municipal burial ground, and to make by- laws without discriminating against race, nationality, or religion. The church burial grounds had generally to be enlarged or new ones consecrated, and individ- ual graves indicated and allotted. The right to hold public funerals and to take the remains into church was not to be abridged or interfered with, except in times of epidemics or in case of contagious or infec- tif)us diseases, when a public funeral might be held at the grave after an hour had elapsed from the actual interment. The right of civil marriage was estab- lished in 1S98, bj' order of General Otis. The cer- tificate of marriage, by whomsoever celebrated, must be filed with the civil authorities. The forbidden de- grees extend to half-blood and step-parents. A sub- seiiuent marriage while husband or wife is alive is illegal and void, unless the former marriage has been annulled or dissolved, or by presumption of death after seven years' absence. There is no express pro- \ ision for divorce; but marriages may be annulled \>y order of judges of the court of first instance for impediments existing at the time of marriage, such as lii'ing under the age of consent (fourteen years for lioys, twelve years for girls), insanity, etc.

The local health officer shall report to the municipal president "all births that may come to his knowl- edge", the date, and names of parents. The parochial clergy have generally complete and carefully-kept registers of baptisms, and furnish certified copies to those who need them. The property of deceased per- sons was in general formerly distributed at a family council, with the approval of the courts. But it appears that at the present time the estates of de- ceased persons must be administered under direction of the courts of first instance. Testaments are made and property devolves in accordance with the pro- visions of the Spanish civil code.

Education. — The Spanish missionaries established schools immediately on reaching the islands. Wher- ever they penetrated, church and school went to- gether. The Jesuits had two universities in Manila, besides colleges at Cavite, Marinduque, Ar^valo, Cebu, and Zamboanga. The Dominicans had their flourishing University of S. Tomds, Manila, existing to this day, and their colleges in other large towns. There was no Christian village without its school; all the young people attended. On the Jesuits' return to the islanils in 1859, the cause of higher education recei\('(l a new impetus. They established the college of the Ateneo de Manila, where nearly all those who have been prominent in the history of their country during the last half-century were educated. They opened a norinal scliixil which .sent its trained Filipino teachers over all jiarts of the islands. The normal school graduated during the thirty years of its exis-