ABSTRACT
The Philippines is referred to as the only Christian-majority country in Asia. The preponderance of Catholicism was initially due to Spain’s inclusion of missionary activity in its imperialist and colonial aspirations in the sixteenth century. The influence of Catholicism, however, outlived Spanish colonialism and successfully took root in Philippine culture, society and politics in varying forms. In this chapter, I examine how this “rooting” process is premised on the articulation of nationalist discourses that are congenial to Catholic interests. These religiously motivated articulations of nationalist discourses converge around imaginaries and aspirations of the Philippines as a “Catholic Nation” or “Christian country”. This claim is not simply due to the statistical preponderance of Catholics relative to the country’s overall population, but relies on the active placing of Catholic beliefs, symbolisms and institutions in the forefront of public life. Being a large and complex organization, Philippine Catholicism can do this in multiple fronts and simultaneously engage different publics both within and outside its institutional domain. This meticulous positioning of Catholic interests in public life places Catholicism as a relevant player in crafting and maintaining nationalist discourses in the Philippine context.
