The Church is under the regulation of an Archbishop and four
Bishops. The present Archbishop of Manilla, whose reputation for piety
and good feeling towards all men stands very high, is an old soldier,
who, after serving his king when a young man as lieutenant of cavalry
for several years, changed his master, and assuming the habit of a
priest, devoted himself to religion for the remainder of his life.
There are about 500 parochial curacies throughout the islands under
him in the four bishoprics, 167 of the curacies being situated in his
own see; and several literary, charitable, and pious institutions at
Manilla look up to him as their patron and head; among others may be
mentioned the University of Santo Tomas, having chairs for students of
Latin, logic, metaphysics, moral philosophy, canon law, theology, &c.
As a body, the ministers of religion in the Philippines are not
apparently so well educated a class as those of Great Britain,
even in the education of the schools, and are possessed of less
general information, of course, from the want of any periodical
literature equal to that which we have, from whose sources much of
the information, and some of the apparent learning of my countrymen
are derived, at little cost of time or expense.
However, many of the Spanish _padres_ are men of general and varied
attainments, such as would adorn any church or station in life; but
the greater number of them can scarcely claim so much, as, although
they are all respectably educated, their attention for many years
of their life has been directed chiefly to the prosecution of such
studies as would influence their advancement in the Church, such as
the canon law, church history, theology, &c., on a knowledge of which
their consideration for accomplishments among themselves principally
depends, I believe.
Most of the priests I have been in contact with, appeared to be
thoroughly convinced of, and faithful to their religion in its purity;
and as a body, appear to be about as sincere and pious a class as
clergymen at home.
Occasionally, however, you meet with startling exceptions to this
rule, which astonish any one accustomed to see the high regard to
outward decency observed by the same cloth at home; for instance,
it would be considered most reprehensible at home, for any clergyman
to keep a mistress; and if the fact became known, would occasion his
instant dismissal from his cure, and his expulsion from the Church.
This is not so, however, in the Philippines, and may be seen at
any time, especially among the Mestizo and native Indian priests,
whose education is worse, and their ideas of religion much more
vague, incorrect, and superstitious than those of the Spaniards;
and sometimes, in the country parishes, an Indian or Mestizo _padre_
is found openly living in the _convento_ or parsonage-house with his
mistress and natural children. But frequently, in cases where a sense
of decency prevents them doing this openly, one occasionally meets
in their houses young half-caste children, who pass for the family
of some brother or sister, although these had never any existence,
and there is in reality little or no doubt as to the priest himself
being their father.
This state of things, however, is not the general state of the Church,
although it may but too frequently be met with; and is not considered
nearly so reprehensible as it would be, were they at liberty to marry,
as Protestant clergymen are. In many cases its existence can scarcely
fail to be known to their bishops, by whom however it appears to be
winked at; and is not considered by the laity as being particularly
scandalous, their notions on the subject being somewhat indefinite.
Within a very short distance of Manilla, I have been in a convento
where the priest, his mistress, and family all lived together, the
padre being a Mestizo. On the village feast-day, one of the party
with whom I was in the country, hired some jugglers who had come down
from Bengal to act their wonderful tricks in the theatre at Manilla,
and sent them out to Mariquina on the feast-day, there to amuse the
people, and to please the padre, as he knew it would do, he being an
old acquaintance of his. Accordingly, in the afternoon they exhibited
to an immense crowd of natives, just before the open church-door. A
platform had been quickly erected for their accommodation, from which
they were exhibiting their tricks to the intense astonishment of the
Indians, most of whom had never seen anything of the sort before;
and in the evening, the padre having asked leave for the jugglers
to come to the convento, gave a great party to all the Spaniards,
or white men, who were then in the pueblo, in order to watch their
tricks more closely than could be done at a public exhibition.
Several Spanish ladies were present, and among them, quite as a matter
of course, was the mistress of the priest. One or two of the ladies
present were wives of high officials at Manilla, and all of them were
persons of the best character and standing, yet they did not appear in
the least discomposed by her presence, although none of them paid her
any attention, or noticed her as the lady of the house; in fact, she
appeared to be regarded by them as a sort of privileged housekeeper
more than in any other light, although they were perfectly aware
of the irregularity of her life. This may give some idea of their
modes of thinking of such affairs, for all of them present perfectly
understood the relation in which the spiritual adviser of so large
a population as that of Mariquina stood to her.
Both the priest and she were elderly people, and their intercourse
has, I understood, been of long standing; and during the course of it
several children have been born. But the most wonderful thing appears
to be, how such a man could direct the worship of his parishioners,
or lay before them the scripture tenets of his and their faith,
while openly violating it before their eyes. But the same thing has
taken place in Europe not unfrequently, and quite as openly, without
exciting excessive scandal in many places.
There is an immense deal more of immorality among the clergy of
all denominations and countries than would be believed. Alas, for
human nature!