page_title: Catholic Church in the Philippines
section_title: Internal movements
hierarchical_section_title: Catholic Church in the Philippines / Internal movements
caption_attribution_description: English: Quiapo Church, officially known as Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines Tagalog: Simbahan ng Quiapo (Basilika Menor ng Nazareno) sa Quiapo, Maynila, Pilipinas
context_page_description: The Catholic Church in the Philippines is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual direction of the Pope. The Philippines is one of the two nations in Asia having a substantial portion of the population professing the Catholic faith, along with East Timor, and has the third largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico. The episcopal conference responsible in governing the faith is the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.
  Christianity was first brought to the Philippine islands by Spanish missionaries and settlers, who arrived in waves beginning in the early 16th century in Cebu. Compared to the Spanish Era, when Christianity was recognized as the state religion, the faith today is practiced in the context of a secular state. In 2015, it was estimated that 84 million Filipinos, or roughly 82.9% to 85% of the population, profess the Catholic faith.
caption: Quiapo Church, the Basilica Minore of the Nazarene is home of the statue of the Black Nazarene, which is the focus of widespread popular devotion in the country.
exif: {}