Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Julius Bautista, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.

ABSTRACT

Referring to the Philippines as “a Catholic nation” has become a marker of identity used by both Filipino or not, Catholic or not. This essay employs a close reading of all official texts of the Catholic bishops related to nationalism and nation from 1945 onward and shows how this social imaginary was constructed and promoted. Under the Catholic Welfare Organization (1945-1967), the Catholic bishops promoted this imaginary as a defense against what it perceived to be a nationalism bred outside the church. Under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (1968-present), their statements manifested the “Catholic nation at work”—speaking out on social issues, supporting constitutional democracy, and criticizing what it considered unacceptable. The last section undertakes an archeology of the notion of the Philippines as “a Catholic nation” and engages the views of Benedict Anderson and Talal Asad among others regarding the importance of concepts of time and space in the birth of the nation from religious community. In particular, it uncovers the historical and ideational forces that pull the notions of “Catholic” and of “nation” toward conflation or separation.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Jose Mario C. Francisco, S.J. is Professor of Philosophical and Systematic Theology at the Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, in the Philippines. His research and teaching are focused on the interaction between the science, culture and theology, especially in Asian contexts. Since completing postgraduate studies in literature, philosophy, and theology in the Philippines and the United States, he has held various leadership positions in religious institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the academy. He also has taught at Boston College (where he served as the Gasson Chair), the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, and the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila. His recent publications include Mapping Religious and Social Spaces in Traditional and Charismatic Christianities in the Philippines (in Festschrift in honor of Fr. John N. Schimacher, S.J.) and ‘Speaking in Many Tongues: Translation and Transcendence in Early Filipino Christianity,’ in Philosophy, Religions, and Transcendence.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP Mr Jonathan Lee via email: jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg