Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila

Archdiocese of Manila Archidioecesis Manilensis Arkidiyosesis ng Maynila Arquidiócesis de Manila
Arms of the Archdiocese
Location
Country	Philippines
Territory	City of Manila Makati Mandaluyong Pasay San Juan
Ecclesiastical province	Manila
Metropolitan	Manila
Statistics
Area	549 km2 (212 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 2,993,000 2,419,781 (80.9%)
Parishes	85
Members	347 over all
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	6 February 1579 (Diocese) 14 August 1595 (Archdiocese)
Cathedral	Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Co-cathedral	Paco Church (Pro-Cathedral; 2012-2014) San Miguel Church (Pro-Cathedral; 1945-1958)
Patron saint	Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Archbishop	Luis Antonio G. Tagle
Auxiliary Bishops	Broderick S. Pabillo
Vicar General	Rolando R. de la Cruz
Map
Jurisdiction of the metropolitan see within the Philippines.
Website
www.rcam.org

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (Latin: Archidioecesis Manilensis; Filipino: Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; Spanish: Arquidiócesis de Manila) is a particular church or diocese of the Catholic Church in Manila, Philippines. Its ordinary, the Archbishop of Manila, is now customarily elevated to the Cardinalate after his enthronement.

The current Archbishop of Manila is Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the 32nd to hold the office. Formerly the Bishop of Imus, Tagle was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on October 13, 2011.

The cathedral church is the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Immaculate Conception as the principal patroness of the Republic of the Philippines and Filipino people.

Vision statement

A people called by the Father in Jesus Christ to become a community of persons with fullness of life witnessing to the Kingdom of God by living the Paschal Mystery in the power of the Holy Spirit with Mary as companion.

History

Per the efforts of conquistador Martín de Goiti—who founded the City of Manila after uniting the dominions of Sulayman III of Namayan, Tondo, and Sabag, Rajah Ache Matanda of Maynila, and Lakan Dula of Tondo— the Diocese of Manila was then canonically erected on February 6, 1579 through the Papal bull Illius fulti præsidio by Pope Gregory XIII, encompassing all Spanish colonies in Asia as a suffragan of Mexico. Fray Domingo de Salazar, a Dominican from the Convent of San Sebastian in Salamanca, Spain, was selected by King Philip II of Spain as the Bishop of the new diocese and was presented to the pope.

Over the course of history and growth of Catholicism in the Philippines, the diocese was elevated and new dioceses had been carved from its territory. On August 14, 1595, Pope Clement VIII raised the diocese to the status of an archdiocese with Bishop Ignacio Santibáñez elevated as its first archbishop. Three new dioceses were created as suffragan to Manila: Nueva Caceres, Nueva Segovia, and Cebu. With the creation of these new dioceses, the territory of the archdiocese was reduced to the city of Manila and the adjoining civil provinces in proximity including Mindoro Island. It was bounded to the north by the Diocese of Nueva Segovia, to the south by the Diocese of Cebu, and to the southeast by the Diocese of Nueva Caceres.

Interior of the Throne Room in the Archbishop's Palace as it was during the Spanish colonial period.

During the Hispanic period, the Archdiocese was ruled by a succession of Spanish and Latino archbishops. The British occupation of Manila during the Seven Years' War saw the temporary conversion of Sultan Azim ud-Din I of Sulu to Catholicism, the massive looting and destruction of ecclesiastical treasures, as well as the burning of churches by British soldiers, Sepoy mercenaries and rebellious Chinese residents in Binondo. This episode was particularly damaging to Philippine scholarship due to the fact that the monasteries holding the archives and artifacts about the precolonial Philippine Rajahnates, Datudoms, Sultanates and Huangdoms and their conversion to Catholicism; were either burnt, lost or looted by the British. An example of which would be the Boxer Codex, whose earliest owner Lord Giles of Ilchester, had inherited it from an ancestor who stole it from Manila during the British Occupation.

Nevertheless, peace was subsequently restored after the Protestant British occupation. In the time after this, the Catholic religious orders (with the exception of the Jesuits who were temporarily suppressed by the Spaniards due to their role in anti-imperialist movements in Latin America) became the powerful driving force in the Archdiocese of Manila. The local diocesan clergy resented the foreign religious orders due to their near monopoly of ecclesiastical positions. The opposition of the religious orders against an autonomous diocesan clergy independent of them lead to the martyrdom of priests Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, Jacinto Zamora collectively known as Gomburza. This inspired the Jesuit educated Jose Rizal to form the La Liga Filipina, to ask for reforms from Spain and recognition of local clergy.

Rizal was executed and the La Liga Filipina dissolved. The 1896 Philippine revolution was triggered when the Spanish discovered the anti-colonial secret organisation Katipunan, and ended Spanish rule. The United States took the Philippines from Spain in the 1898 Spanish-American War; this developed into fighting between the Philippine revolutionaries and the US in the 1899-1902 Philippine–American War, followed by victory for the US and disestablishment of the Roman Catholic Church as the state church of the Philippines. Some members of the Katipunan then turned to the Catholic Church, especially to the Jesuit order who had fostered Philippine nationalism in the students they educated. In the period after the war Philippine churches were restored in the Art-Deco architectural motif.

The province of Mindoro was established as an independent diocese on April 10, 1910 by virtue of a Decretum Consistoriale executed by Pope Pius X, implementing the Bull “Quae Mari Sinico” of Pope Leo XIII. On the same date the Diocese of Lipa (later Archdiocese of Lipa) was created, with jurisdiction over the provinces of Batangas, Tayabas, Marinduque and some parts of Masbate.

In May 1928 Pope Pius XI established the Diocese of Lingayen, carved from Manila and Nueva Segovia. In this creation 26 parishes were separated from Manila. He also named Our Lady of Guadalupe as a patroness of the Filipino people in 1938.

December 8, 1941, marked the beginning of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Members of the secretive Black Dragon Society, had infiltrated all facets of Philippine life and had greatly guided the invading Japanese forces. World War 2 marked a period of irreplaceable loss to the Archdiocese of Manila. The combination of violent theft and arson done by the Japanese and the indiscriminate carpet bombing perpetuated by the convenience leaning Americans lead to the permanent loss of many of the ancient Gothic, Art-Deco and Earthquake Baroque Cathedrals found around the Archdiocese of Manila.

In the aftermath of the war, in September 1942, Pope Pius XII declared Our Lady of Immaculate Conception as the Principal Patroness of the Philippines on the Papal Bull, Impositi Nobis, along with Saints Pudentiana and Rose of Lima as secondary patrons.

July 4, 1946, marked the date of Philippine independence from America. After this point, the Archdiocese of Manila was no longer just the archdiocese of a mere colony or territory but officially became the Eclessiastical Metropolis of a sovereign nation's capital.

On December 11, 1948, the Apostolic Constitution, “Probe noscitur” further divided the Archdiocese of Manila by separating the northern part of the Archdiocese and establishing it as the Diocese of San Fernando. On November 25, 1961, the Archdiocese of Manila was again partitioned. The civil provinces of Bulacan in the north and Cavite in the south were separated from the Archdiocese, the northern part becoming the Diocese of Malolos and towards the south the Diocese of Imus.

Pope John Paul II declared the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception a Minor Basilica in 1982 through a Motu Proprio.

Fifteen towns and two barangays from eastern Rizal were excised on January 24, 1983 to form the Diocese of Antipolo.

In 2002, two more dioceses were carved out of the Archdiocese: the Diocese of Novaliches in the north and the Diocese of Parañaque in the south, which also comprised the cities of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa.

In 2003, by the recommendation of Jaime Cardinal Sin (the spiritual leader of the People Power Revolution) and by papal decree, the archdiocese was further partitioned to form three new dioceses: the dioceses of Cubao, Caloocan and Pasig.

Archbishop

The seat of the Archbishop is in Manila Cathedral-Basilica, under the patronage of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The Archbishop is also overseer of several suffragan dioceses of Manila.

The Archbishop notably has a voting seat on the board of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, as the Archdiocese is the bank's fifth-largest owner with a 8.35% share.

History

After having been served by a single diocesan bishop, nineteen archbishops were appointed from Spain. In 1903, the archdiocese received its first American archbishop as appointed by the Holy See. Following the tenure of Archbishop Jeremiah James Harty from St. Louis, Missouri, the Irishman Michael J. O'Doherty was appointed, and received on September 6, 1916.

O'Doherty would lead the church in its most difficult times: when Filipinos were petitioning for sovereignty from the United States and the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II.

When O'Doherty died after Philippine independence in 1946, Rev. Gabriel Reyes, already serving as coadjutor archbishop, became the first native Filipino chosen for the position. Reyes' successor, Archbishop Rufino Jiao Santos, became the first Filipino to become a cardinal.

Jaime Cardinal Sin became the most recognised Archbishop of Manila worldwide when he challenged the authoritarian regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. Having become only the third Filipino cardinal, Sin was credited as a moving force behind the 1986 People Power movement that deposed Marcos and dismantled his government.

In 2003 Pope John Paul II appointed Gaudencio Rosales, the Archbishop of Lipa, to succeed Cardinal Sin; Pope Benedict XVI later elevated Rosales to the cardinalate on March 24, 2006.

On October 13, 2011, the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines announced the appointment of Rev Luis Antonio Tagle, the Bishop of Imus, as the new Archbishop, assisted by two auxiliary bishops. Tagle replaced Cardinal Rosales, who had resigned at the compulsory age of retirement and now bears the honorary title of Archbishop Emeritus. Tagle was himself made a cardinal by Benedict XVI on November 24, 2012.

List of Archbishops of Manila

No.	Picture	Name	From	Until
1		Domingo de Salazar, O. P.	February 6, 1579	December 4, 1594
2		Ignacio Santibáñez, O.F.M.	August 30, 1595	August 14, 1598
3		Miguel de Benavides, O. P.	October 7, 1602	July 26, 1605
4		Diego Vázquez de Mercado	May 28, 1608	June 12, 1616
5		Miguel García Serrano, O.S.A.	February 12, 1618	June 14, 1629
6		Hernando Guerrero, O.S.A.	January 9, 1634	July 1, 1641
7		Fernando Montero Espinosa	February 5, 1646	1648
8		Miguel de Poblete Casasola	January 21, 1649	December 8, 1667
9		Juan López, O. P.	1672	February 12, 1674
10		Felipe Fernandez de Pardo, O. P.	October 28, 1681	December 31, 1689
11		Diego Camacho y Ávila	August 19, 1696	January 14, 1704
12		Francisco de la Cuesta, O.S.H.	August 12, 1707	1722
13		Carlos Bermúdez Gonzalez	1722	November 13, 1729
14		Juan Ángel Rodríguez, O.S.T.	May 18, 1731	June 24, 1742
15		Pedro de la Santísima Trinidad Martínez de Arizala, O.F.M.	February 3, 1744	May 28, 1755
16		Manuel Antonio Rojo del Río y Vieyra	1758	1764
17		Basilio Sancho de Santa Justa, S.P.	April 14, 1766	December 15, 1787
18		Juan Antonio Orbigo de Gallego, O.F.M.	December 15, 1788	May 17, 1797
19		Juan Antonio Zulaibar, O. P.	March 26, 1804	March 4, 1824
20		Hilarión Díez, O.S.A.	July 3, 1826	May 7, 1829
21		José Seguí, O.S.A.	July 5, 1830	July 4, 1845
22		José Aranguren, O.A.R.	January 19, 1846	April 18, 1861
23		Gregorio Melitón Martínez Santa Cruz	December 23, 1861	1875
24		Pedro Payo y Piñeiro, O.P.	January 28, 1876	January 1, 1889
25		Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa, O. P.	May 27, 1889	February 4, 1902
26		Jeremiah James Harty	June 6, 1903	May 16, 1916
27		Michael J. O'Doherty	September 6, 1916	October 13, 1949
28		Gabriel Reyes y Martelino	October 13, 1949	October 15, 1952
29		Rufino Cardinal Santos y Jiao	February 10, 1953	September 3, 1973
30		Jaime Cardinal Sin y Lachica	September 3, 1973	November 18, 2003
31		Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales y Borbon	November 21, 2003	December 12, 2011
32		Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle y Gokim	December 12, 2011	present

Auxiliary Bishops

• Ginés Barrientos (1680-1698).

College of Consultors

Below are member priests of the College of Consultors of the Archdiocese of Manila since July 1, 2015. Auxiliary bishops also serve as vicars general.

• Auxiliary Bishop of Manila – Most Rev. Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo, SSL
• Vicar General and Moderator Curiae – Rev. Msgr. Jose Clemente F. Ignacio, PC
• Episcopal Vicar for Chancery Affairs, Chancellor & Private Secretary to the Archbishop - Rev. Fr. Reginald R. Malicdem
• Episcopal Vicar for Foreign Communities Concern - Rev. Msgr. Esteban U. Lo, L.R.M.S., PC
• Episcopal Vicar for the Diocesan Clergy - Rev. Msgr. Jay Bandojo, PC
• Judicial Vicar - Rev. Msgr. Geronimo F. Reyes, PC, JCD
• Oeconomus - Rev. Fr. Cesar A. Buhat

Demographics

As of 2004, the archdiocese has registered a total of 2,719,781 baptized faithful. They are served by 475 diocesan and religious priests – with a ratio of 5,725 faithful per priest, under 85 parishes. The archdiocese also houses 369 male religious and 1,730 female religious engaged in various social, pastoral and missionary works in various areas of the archdiocese.

Formation of Priests

The archdiocese operates San Carlos Seminary, which is responsible for the formation of future priests for the archdiocese and for its suffragan dioceses. Located in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City, it has collegiate- and theologate-level formation houses as well as formation houses for Chinese Filipino future priests (which is the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society) and a center for adult vocations (Holy Apostles Senior Seminary). The seminary offers civil and ecclesiastical degrees in philosophy, theology and pastoral ministry.

The archdiocese also operates Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, a seminary for young men in the secondary school level. It is located a few blocks away from San Carlos Seminary.

Other major seminaries that serve the spiritual and pastoral needs of the archdiocese include the San Jose Seminary (under the administration of the Jesuits, located within the Ateneo de Manila University complex) and the UST Central Seminary, the Royal and Pontifical Interdiocesan Seminary of the Philippines, (under the administration of the Dominicans, located within the University of Santo Tomas campus).

Parishes

The Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Archdiocese. Consecrated by Pope Pius XII's Papal Bull Impositi Nobis in 1942, the Immaculate Conception is also honoured as "Principal Patroness" of the Philippine Islands.

Façade of the Basilica Minore de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno in Quiapo, Manila. The church enshrines the Black Nazarene, an image of Jesus believed to be miraculous, which attracts thousands of devotees on Fridays and millions during its annual procession on 9 January.

Vicariate of Nuestra Señora de Guia (Ermita; Intramuros; Malate, Manila)

• Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guia
• Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Consolación y Correa (San Agustin Church)
• Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral)
• Our Lady of Remedies Parish
• Our Lady of the Assumption Parish
• San Vicente de Paul Parish

Vicariate of San José de Trozo (Quiapo; San Miguel; Santa Cruz, Manila)

• Minor Basilica of San Sebastian/Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene / Saint John the Baptist Parish
• National Shrine and Parish of Saint Jude Thaddeus
• National Shrine of Saint Michael and the Archangels
• San José de Trozo Parish
• Santa Cruz Parish

Vicariate of the Holy Spirit (Santa Cruz; Tondo, Manila)

• Archdiocesan Shrine of Espíritu Santo
• Immaculate Conception Parish
• Risen Christ Parish
• Saint Joseph Parish
• San José Manggagawà Parish
• San Rafael Parish
• San Roque de Manila Parish
• Santa Monica Parish

Vicariate of Our Lady of Loreto (Sampaloc; Santa Mesa, Manila)

• Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Loreto
• Most Holy Trinity Parish
• Nuestra Señora de Salvación De Manila Parish
• Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish
• Our Lady of Fátima Parish
• Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
• San Roque de Sampaloc Parish
• Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua'
• Santísimo Rosario Parish (University of Santo Tomas)

Vicariate of Sto. Niño (Binondo; Tondo, Manila)

• Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz/Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish
• Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Parish
• Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish
• Saint John Bosco Parish
• San Pablo Apostol Parish
• Santo Niño de Tondo Parish

Vicariate of San Fernando de Dilao (Paco; Pandacan, Manila)

• Our Lady of Peñáfrancia Parish
• Saint Maria Goretti Parish
• Saint Peter the Apostle Parish
• San Fernando de Dilao Parish
• Santo Niño de Pandacan Parish

Vicariate of the Holy Family (Malate; Paco; San Andres; Santa Ana, Manila)

• Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
• Parokya ng Ina ng Laging Saklolo
• Sagrada Familia Parish
• Saint Anthony of Padua Parish
• Saint Pius X Parish
• Santísima Trinidad Parish

Vicariate of Sta. Clara de Montefalco (Pasay City)

• Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life'
• Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted Parish
• Our Lady of Fatima Parish
• Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
• Our Lady of the Airways Parish
• Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish
• San Isidro Labrador Parish
• San Juan Nepomuceno Parish
• San Rafael Parish
• San Roque Parish
• Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish'

Vicariate of Saint John the Baptist (Mandaluyong City, San Juan City and Ortigas, Quezon City)

• Archdiocesan Shrine and Quasi-Parish of Mary, Queen of Peace (EDSA Shrine)
• Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord
• Mary the Queen Parish'
• Saint Francis of Assisi Parish
• Saint John the Baptist Parish
• Santuario de San José Parish
• Santuario del Santo Cristo Parish

Vicariate of San Felipe Neri (Mandaluyong City)

• Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy
• Our Lady of Fátima Parish
• Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
• Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
• Saint Dominic Savio Parish
• San Felipe Neri Parish
• San Roque Parish

Vicariate of Sts. Peter and Paul (Makati City)

• Holy Cross Parish (Dambana ng Banál na Krus)
• National Shrine and Parish of the Sacred Heart
• Nuestra Señora de Gracia Parish
• Our Lady of La Paz Parish
• Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish
• Saint John Bosco Parish
• Saints Peter and Paul Parish
• Santo Niño de Paz Chapel

Vicariate of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Makati City)

• National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Mary, Mirror of Justice Parish
• Mater Dolorosa Parish
• Saint John Mary Vianney Parish
• Saint John of the Cross Parish
• Santa Teresita Parish
• Santuario de San Antonio Parish

Vicariate of Saint Joseph the Worker (Makati City)

• Holy Family Parish
• Our Lady of Fátima Parish
• Saint Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Parish
• Saint Joseph the Worker Parish
• San Ildefonso Parish

Suffragan dioceses

• Antipolo
• Cubao
• Imus
• Caloocan
• Malolos
• Novaliches
• Parañaque
• Pasig
• San Pablo

See also

• Roman Catholicism in the Philippines
• The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary

Resources

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila
•  "Archdiocese of Manila". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 
• Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502–1585. "Bull for erection of the Diocese and Cathedral Church of Manila." In The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898. Cleveland, Ohio: A.H. Clark Company, 1903-9. Vol. 4, 1576–82. Pp. 119–124.