Protestant Missions and Catholic Influence in the Philippines
A Protestant missionary in the Philippines writes that Protestant missionaries there find themselves in “a somewhat peculiar position.” “There is the church at home urgently anxious for their success, while officials are hesitant as to whether they are not going to ‘complicate matters,’ and on the whole would be rather glad if they kept away, in which they are cordially supported by the Roman Catholic priests. At Iloilo the mission work began very successfully. Then came the priests, who put studying English under the ban of the church, and gave out that the Americans would soon return to their own country, and that then all Protestants would be killed.” He says that the Protestant missionary “is looked upon as an unavoidable nuisance by certain officials, and as a pronounced enemy of the priesthood.” So reports the Independent. All these “officials” are officials of the United States government. And it is plain to be seen that in their sympathies, in their influence, and in their fear that Protestants will “complicate matters,” they are also officials of the Catholic Church. And it is certain that the Catholic priesthood will leave no stone unturned to make the work of Protestant missionaries “complicate matters,” and so turn to her own account these fears of the officials. It is perfectly plain that in the Philippines there is a union of the United States government and the Catholic Church. And what the next four years shall bring forth, no man can imagine!