Legazpi prelate sheds light on the role of Religion in shaping and strengthening Nationalism

By Natalie Hazel P. Quimlat, MD

NAGA CITY --- “Religion, clearly, through history, is a powerful force for good and evil,” Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon said at the 8th annual Fr. James O’Brien, SJ Memorial Lecture Series entitled “The Role of Religion in Promoting Nationalism” held last September 26 at the Bro. Richie Fernando Hall of the Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU). “In the name of an Infinite Being, inquisitions were made, people were tortured; but at the same time, religion unified people and liberated them from years of oppression,” Baylon continued to say. 

Does religion play an important role in nation building?

Quoting Fr. John Schumacher, SJ, the Legazpi prelate began his lecture by saying, “for better or for worse, the history of Philippine Catholicism has always been bound up with the history of the Filipino people and the development of the nation.” 

Looking back at Philippine history, Baylon recounted 3 main events that Catholicism contributed to the growth of the nation. First, the Manila Synod of 1582 led by the first prelate of Manila, Bishop Domingo de Salazar. During this Synod, the following were discussed: social injustices, abuses done on the “natives” and methods of evangelization. The Synod concluded by saying that if the treatment towards the Filipinos remains unchanged, evangelization or the preaching of the Gospel is useless. Second was the development of the Filipino Clergy, in which eventually schools and seminaries were opened and began accepting Filipinos for formal education and priestly formation. Third was the inclusion of Filipino women in the Church, which led to the formation of the Beaterio Movement. 

However, during this time, the Catholic Church also failed to influence and inspire social change.“For sure,” according to the Legazpi prelate, “there were efforts to actualize the influence of the Catholic Church after the Philippine revolution. But it was only in the years after the Second Vatican Council that the Church in the Philippines would be able to actually do so.” And although Religion is not entirely responsible for establishing a sense of Nationalism, the Catholic Church, most certainly, tries to be responsive to the signs of the times such as during the EDSA Revolution in 1986. 

“It takes time to change”

In 2018, Baylon was a recipient of the Bishop Jorge Barlin Service to the Church Award from the Ateneo de Naga University. In his acceptance speech, the Legazpi prelate looked back on his experiences during the First Quarter Storm, which he also recounted in his current lecture. In 1970, fueled with much idealism triggered by social inequalities and political unrest, Baylon, who was a 2nd year Philosophy seminarian at the time, decided to leave the Seminary in order to pursue a life he thought would allow him to serve his country more and “help change society, i.e., [to] rid it of its ills”. However, 2 years later, Martial Law was declared and Baylon eventually returned to the Seminary. 

These almost 2 years spent outside the Seminary, in the midst of people who were fighting for their rights, and as part of a national youth organization decided to commit to armed revolution to change society were recalled with gratitude by the Legazpi prelate, for allowing him to “discover and define who [he] was -what [his] values were”. While many saw the Church as being indifferent at the time, Baylon found meaning on his journey to the priesthood. “I realized changing societies is never easy –it was never up to me; and violence would never help solve its ills. I found out that my idealism was not necessarily a bad thing, because it made me discover the path of true service and love for people, especially the poor. But above all, I encountered the God who called me to life and gave me gifts to use, not so much to bring my own plans and dreams to fulfillment, but to put myself at His service as a servant of His Church and His people,” Baylon shared.

The Legazpi prelate concluded his lecture by saying, “Religion plays an important role in the growth of Nationalism if and when while proclaiming its basic tenets and teachings, it fosters human dignity and justice, protects the rights of individuals and groups, values education and formation, and continues to be involved in the cares and concerns of society. From our historical reflection, one can say that the Church, when faithful to its mission, naturally sides with the poor and the oppressed, and truly becomes an instrument of the Spirit, who changes the face of the Earth, then it becomes really [a] Church.”

Where do we go from here as a people?

During the open forum, Baylon also emphasized the important role of the laity -explaining that the Church is not only composed of its leaders but rather, the Church is “you and I” -its leaders and its members. Bringing up the Throwaway Culture that Pope Francis has been speaking of, Baylon called on everyone present to be inclusive as the Church becomes synodal. The Legazpi prelate encouraged being open to dialogue and exhorted to “stand with the truth, i.e., Jesus Christ”. “Do not compromise truth and justice, just for the sake of peace,” he said. 

The annual Fr. James J. O’Brien, SJ Memorial Lecture Series, which is a legacy project by ADNU Batch 66 that aims to honor and commemorate Fr. O’Brien’s love of and for the Bicol culture, was initiated by former Ateneo de Naga University President Fr. Primitivo Viray, Jr., SJ in 2016.