Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-16
THE FR|ARS QUESTION
Why the Filipinos Hate the
Priests of the Orders.
NOT ANTI CATHOLIC
TESTIMONY BEFORE TAFT COM
MISSION OF PRESENT INTEREST.
Native Ignorance Would Menace Sc
curity of Friars and Shake Faith
in the Church.

of the friars in the Philippines have re-
vived interest in the subject and directed
attention anew to the investigation con-
Quoted by the Taft Philippine commission
at Manila into the subject. The testimony
taken before that commission relative to
the friars was published in Senate docu-
ment 100, second session, Fifty-siXth Con-
gress, which has been repeatedly men
toned during the course of the coBtro-
versy. OF late Misrepresentation has
arisen IS to the reasons for this govern
ment's anxiety for the removal of the
friars from the islands, it having been
charged that its policy was dictated by
an antagonism to the Catholic Church. A
close study of the document does not dis
close such a purpose, but, on the other
hand, indicates that from the outset of the
anti-friars movement the United States
authorities have been intent upon secur-
ing to the Filipnos, who are almost with
out exception Catholics, free exercise or
their religion through the elimination OF
those opponents of the Catholic Church
who have aroused intense antagonism to
themselves.
1t was disclosed in the course of the
inquiry conducted by the Taft commission
that during the Spanish occupation of the
Philippines the friars, by which name are
designated representatives Of certain re-
ligious societies orders, were a power
full factor in temporal as well as spiritual
affairs, serving in many civil capacities
and welding an influence over the politf-
cal government of the islands. The an
tagonism shown by the people for the
friars resulting in the insurrection which
preceded the war between Spain and the
United States, arose chiefly from the abuse
of this temporal power, but was not eX-
tended to all the orders represented in
the islands, the Dominicans Franciscans,
Augustinians, Recolletos, Capucians, Bene-
dictines, Paulists and Jesuts. The orders
chiefly disliked and distrusted appeared to
be the AugustiniaDs, Recouetos, Domini-
cans and Franciscans.
Charges of immortality.
Much has been made of the charges of
immortality brought against the friars by
Filipinos, but it would appear from docu-
ment 100 and other evidence on the subject
that the alleged improper personal practices
of the friars was by no means the chief
burden of the native complaint against
them, their irregular lives being considered
as more or less conventional by the COM
mon people. These charges of immortality
were generally denied by the representa-
tives of the orders themselves who appear
ed before the commission, but were reiter-
ated and accompanied by detailed specfica-
lions by the lay Filipinos who were later
examined, or who volunteered their testi-
mOny to the commission. In the imme-
morality of the friars can be passed over
without affecting the issues directly at
stake. The question most seriously in evil
dence is whether the friars in the exercise
of their civil as we'll as religious duties so
antagonized the native people that their re-
turn to their parishes would jeopardiZe the
prestige of the Catholic Church In the
archipelago or would foment insurrection.
The Friar a Monarch"
In the examination of the Bishop of Jaro
on the 18th of August, 1900 that ecclesiastic,
touching upon the question of the moral
conduct of the friars, sought to excuse
those whom he described as occasionally
falling from grace on the ground of extreme
temptations TO which young men from the
seminaries were subjected in the islands.
He used d phrase of some interest in this
connection, declaring that the young man
thus transported from his eccesiastic
ciusOn to q parish became monarch of all
he surveyed" In this phrase is found the
Keynote of the antagonism of the native
people According to the lay witnesses
later examined this monarch" seriously
abused the temporal power, which, in the
absence of sufficient civil establishment,
was thrust upon him or was grasped by
him.
During the examination of Don Felipe
CalderOn, a lawyer of Manila, he was asked
whether the immortality of the friars was
the chief ground of the hostility of the peo
pie against them, and answered:
1T is not by any means, because the
moral sense of the whole people here had
been absolutely perverted SO frequent
were the infractions of the moral laws on
the part of the friars that really no one
ever cared or took any notice of them"
Representative of Spain.
Mr.. Calderon. continuing. addressed him
self directly to the question of what con-
stituted the chief ground of hostility, as
sorting that it was due to the fact that
they represented the kingdom of Spain to
most of the people in the islands in all the
oppressive measures that that kingdom
adopted in the government of the people.
He said:
They were the expression of the most
exaggerated despotism, not of the govern
ment of Spain, but of their own despotism
which they exercised, using the name of the
kingdom of Spain, because their system
was to deceive both Spain and the people
They would say to the people: If it were
not for me the government would annhilate
you, and then they would say to the gov
eminent: If it were not for me the people
would overthrow you"
In answer to a question as to the result
OF the friars attempting 10 return to their
parishes, he said: Il will answer that bv
stating what countdymen told me: He
says that all the friars have to do is to go
back to their parishes and sleep one night
and the chances are that they would never
awaken. / do not mean to say by this
that every pueblo in all the provinces would
cut the threats of the returning parish
priests. but even supposing that there were
but three pueblos in each province that
were antagonistic to the return of the
parish priests they would begin the under
taxing of melting all the others until they
mad gotten them in the condition whara
they would do the same"
Both this witness and the succeedinp
Jose Roder1gues 1nfante, a planter assert,
ca that the hostility against the friars was
not general, but was confined to the An
gustinians, Domnicans, Recolletos and
Francfscans. Gnu
Danger From Filipino Ignorance.
In the course of the testimony OF Nozarfo
Constantine, lawyer of Manila. he was
asked whether it would affect the STANDING
and influence of the priests materially
whoever they might be. If it became know,
TO the people that the only way the priests
could be paid was by voluntary contrihu-
tons, that they would exercise no poIiti-
cal functions whatever and would be denied
the right to hold office. The answer was in
the negative, the witness saying: .I he
lfeve that the priests could still continue
70 live through the voluntary contributions
Or the people. Undoubtedly the influence
they NAV have welded in ,nI;,;oal -.