 | |
 Holy See |  Philippines |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines | Embassy of the Philippines to the Holy See |
| Envoy | |
| Apostolic NuncioCharles John Brown | Ambassador Myla Grace Ragenia C. Macahilig |
Holy See–Philippines relations refers to the relations between theHoly See (Vatican City) and thePhilippines. As one of two Catholic-majority countries in Asia (the other beingTimor-Leste), the Philippines enjoys significant relations with the Holy See. The Holy See has anunciature inManila,[1]and the Philippines has anembassy to the Holy See based inRome.[2]
Catholicism first arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, with missionaries accompanyingconquistadors as theyannexed the islands to theSpanish Empire. By the time the Philippines regained sovereignty from theUnited States following theSecond World War with the establishment of theThird Republic, Catholicism had already left a lasting impression onPhilippine culture and society with at least seventy percent ofFilipinos professing the faith.
During the administration ofPhilippine PresidentElpidio Quirino, the Apostolic Delegation of the Philippines was upgraded to aNunciature, with Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi becoming the firstApostolic Nuncio on 9 April 1951. The first Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See, Dr Manuel Moran, presented his credentials toPope Pius XII on 4 June 1951.[3][4][5]
Three popes thus far have made pastoral visits to the Philippines. PopePaul VI visited the Philippines in 1970 and made a speech in front of students at theUniversity of Santo Tomas (UST) inManila. In 1981,Pope John Paul II also gave a speech at UST, andbeatified the 17th century Manila nativeLorenzo Ruiz a saint atLuneta Park, the first beatification made outside the Vatican. The pontiff later returned the Philippines in 1995 for theWorld Youth Day. On January 15–19, 2015,Pope Francis made apapal visit to the Philippines, where he gave a speech at UST and visitedTacloban, the city that was devastated by TyphoonYolanda (Haiyan).[6]
The Philippines has hosted the 1937International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Manila and did so again from 25 to 31 January 2016, which was moved from the original May date per request of the Vatican.Archbishop of CebuJosé S. Palma of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines suggested to the Vatican for Pope Francis to visit the country for the event.[7] However, Palma later confirmed that the pontiff would not visit the country for the event and the Vatican would instead send a papal envoy to participate, saying: "the IEC is the opportunity to give glory to God. Others are saying if the Pope comes people might come because of the Pope but not because of Jesus."[8]
Head of Mission: Antonio Franco, Apostolic Nuncio.
Head of Mission: Ms Leonida L. Vera, Ambassador
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