A Filipino church for the world
From EDSA to the diaspora: where Filipino faith goes next.
Filipino Christians are now missionaries to the world — nurses, teachers, seafarers and OFWs who carry worship wherever they land.
Matthew 28:19
The Church of the poor
In 1991 the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines named the Church's direction: a 'Church of the poor,' committed to justice and to the empowerment of lay people. It was a document of the Philippine Church, not Rome — a sign that Filipino Catholics were deciding their own priorities: land reform, wages, disaster response and peace.
The risk of being too close
EDSA 1986 and the 2001 removal of President Estrada made the Church an actor in national politics. That has made it harder to be a referee. The bishops have supported peaceful elections and opposed killings, and they have also been accused of partisanship from every side. Filipino Christians still argue over what faithful political witness looks like, and probably should.
Key terms
PCP-II: The 1991 Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, which committed the Church to the poor.
Christian witness: Public testimony to Christ, which can take the form of service, prophecy or protest.
This week's practice
Write your family's church history
0 of 4 done
Week 6 check
3 questions · no grade, just a gut check
1. What did the 1991 PCP-II call the Philippine Church to be?
2. What did the 2021 celebration mark?
3. What best describes today's Filipino church globally?