wfn.org | Two Major Philippine Churches Sign Agreement for Closer Links

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

6-December-1999 
99403 
 
    Two Major Philippine Churches 
    Sign Agreement for Closer Links 
 
    PC(USA) partner church enters partnership with Catholic offshoot 
 
    by Sophia Lizares-Bodegon 
    Ecumenical News International 
 
MANILA--As church bells rang and sky rockets exploded in the sky, leaders 
of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and the Iglesia 
Filipina Independiente (IFI) signed a Covenant of Partnership that could 
lead to full union "in God's own time." 
 
    The covenant, signed on Nov. 28, is a 400-word document binding the 
UCCP, itself a union of churches from the Reformed tradition and the 
partner church of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the Philippines, and 
the IFI, a Filipino church that separated from Rome but which has retained 
Catholic practice and tradition. 
 
    The church leaders declared in the document that despite differences in 
doctrine, polity and religious practices, both churches are "integral parts 
of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church of Jesus Christ."  The 
document adds that the two denominations draw strength and inspiration from 
a common Scripture and common creeds.  Recognizing common beliefs and 
hopeful in Jesus' prayer "that they may be one," the churches also agreed 
to undertake joint theological and doctrinal studies, service programs, and 
theological education. 
 
    Tomas A. Millamena, Obispo Maximo (leading bishop) of the IFI, and 
Bishop Elmer M. Bolocon, general secretary of the UCCP, signed the 
covenant.  Among the witnesses who also signed were NCCP leaders, mission 
partners, and representatives of workers' organizations, the urban poor and 
student groups. 
 
    Bishop Erme Camba, as the chair of the UCCP Communion on Church Union 
and Unity, oversaw the negotiations for the covenant.  He said that formal 
talks had started three years ago in an ecumenical fellowship of bishops. 
 
    The two churches have a history of co-operation, especially in actions 
against the Marcos dictatorship more than 20 years ago. 
 
    "We wanted to put it in writing," Bishop Camba said.  "Although there 
are certain agreements regarding baptism, issues regarding the Eucharist 
and apostolic succession need to be discussed. But that does not deter us 
from coming together," he added. 
 
    Camba stressed that the phrase "in God's own time" was important 
because the theological understanding and the practice of the Eucharist and 
the ministry in the two churches were completely different and "seem 
irreconcilable." 
 
    But he expressed optimism that work for peace, justice and integrity of 
creation between the two denominations would proceed in a higher gear. 
 
    A separate IFI-UCCP statement issued at the signing said that the 
churches shared "a common legacy and tradition of grounding our faith in 
our people's struggle, and of proclaiming the liberating word of God in the 
context of our people's hopes and aspirations." 
 
    The churches also announced the renewal of their commitment to expose 
government attempts to make changes that would benefit foreign investors 
and the local elite in the face of 
globalization. 
 
    The covenant was welcomed by the heads of Protestant mainline churches 
in the Philippines and by secular organizations. 
 
    Sharon Rose Ruiz-Duremdez, general secretary-elect of the National 
Council of Churches in the Philippines, called the partnership "a giant 
step" in the quest for communion and a unity.  Other churches should "throw 
[themselves] into building communion that come to a true encounter with 
God," she said. 
 
    With three million members, the IFI is the biggest church in the 
National Council of Churches in the Philippines.  The IFI's establishment 
was inspired by the patriotic sentiments of a union leader, assisted by 
Filipino Catholic priests sympathetic to the Philippine Revolution of 1898. 
The IFI separated from the Roman Catholic Church in August 1902.  The IFI's 
motto, "Pro Deo et Patria" ("for God and country"), reflects its patriotic 
stance. 
 
    The UCCP, which has nearly a million members, is the result of the 
union in 1948 of five Protestant churches.  It is known for its advocacy 
for human rights and for outspoken views on socio-economic and political 
issues. 
 
    Both churches are linked also to ecumenical organizations and to 
churches elsewhere in Asia and in Australia, and in Europe, North America 
and Africa. 

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