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Acknowledgment: |
MANILA (CWN) - The Philippines bishops' conference on
Tuesday issued a statement apologizing for the actions of
clergy who sided with Spanish rules in opposing the
country's revolution 100 years ago.
The letter was issued as Filipinos began celebrating the
centennial of independence, and also called on them to
continue to struggle for the principles of revolution:
ending poverty, injustice, and inequality. "We apologize
for the ambiguous stand some church people held during the
revolution," the statement said. Spanish friars dominated
the clergy during the Spanish colonial era, and many worked
with colonial authorities in suppressing the revolutionary
movement. Some Filipinos were able to join the priesthood,
but often were the subject of suspicion by friars.
Three priests who promoted independence were executed by
the Spaniards after being framed for helping a mutineer in
1872. The three -- Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgoz, and Jacinto
Zamora -- became martyrs in the anti-colonial struggle that
led to a declaration of independence from Spain in 1898. The
same year, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States
after the Spanish-American War.
Acknowledgment: to the right.
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