100th Anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo

The Iglesia ni Cristo, translated as the "Church of Christ," is a Christian denomination founded in the Philippines in 1914 by Felix Y. Manalo. It is recognized for its distinctive beliefs and practices and has grown to become a prominent religious organization with millions of members worldwide.

The 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo is a significant milestone for both its members and the larger religious community. It represents a century of faith, dedication, and the impact the INC has made on the lives of its followers and society at large.

This blog aims to explore the historical background, impact, celebratory events, testimonials, and future aspirations surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo. Through this comprehensive exploration, readers will gain insights into the INC's journey and the significance of this momentous occasion.

Historical Background of the Iglesia ni Cristo

A. Origin and founding of the INC by Felix Y. Manalo in 1914

The INC traces its roots back to July 27, 1914, when Felix Y. Manalo registered the religious organization with the Philippine government. Manalo believed he was called by God to restore the original Christian Church established by Jesus Christ. He emphasized the importance of preaching the true gospel and upholding the Bible as the sole authority.

B. Key principles and teachings of the INC

The Iglesia ni Cristo holds a set of core principles and teachings. These include the belief in the oneness and nature of God, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the authority of the Bible, the necessity of membership in the INC for salvation, and the importance of living a righteous life. The INC also places a strong emphasis on unity, discipline, and strict adherence to its doctrines.

C. Growth and expansion of the INC over the past century

Since its inception, the INC has experienced remarkable growth both in the Philippines and abroad. Under Felix Y. Manalo's leadership, the INC expanded its reach through dedicated evangelistic efforts and the establishment of local congregations. Today, the INC has a presence in over 150 countries and territories, with millions of members who actively participate in worship and community activities.

Impact of the Iglesia ni Cristo

A. Influence on the lives of its members

The Iglesia ni Cristo plays a significant role in the lives of its members, providing spiritual guidance, a sense of community, and a platform for personal growth. Members often testify to the positive impact of their faith in their relationships, careers, and overall well-being. The INC fosters a supportive environment that promotes values such as integrity, resilience, and compassion.

B. Contributions to the local community

The INC actively engages in various community initiatives aimed at addressing social issues, promoting education, and providing humanitarian aid. Through its outreach programs, the INC has supported healthcare services, disaster relief efforts, environmental conservation projects, and initiatives focused on poverty alleviation. The organization's dedication to social responsibility has garnered recognition and appreciation from diverse communities.

C. Promoting social and humanitarian initiatives

The Iglesia ni Cristo places a strong emphasis on social and humanitarian endeavors. It has organized large-scale blood donation drives, medical missions, and charitable activities aimed at serving marginalized communities. The INC also promotes values education, moral upliftment, and family counseling to address societal challenges and promote positive change.

Celebratory Events and Activities

A. Overview of the planned celebrations for the 100th anniversary

The 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo is marked by a series of grand celebratory events and activities. These events aim to honor the organization's rich history, acknowledge its accomplishments, and inspire its members and supporters to continue their journey of faith.

One of the highlight events of the 100th anniversary celebration is the grand centennial thanksgiving gathering. Held at various locations around the world, these gatherings bring together INC members from different regions to express gratitude for the blessings received over the past century. 

The thanksgiving gatherings feature solemn worship services, musical performances, and inspirational messages from Church leaders.

In addition to the thanksgiving gatherings, the INC organizes cultural and educational exhibits showcasing its history and achievements. These exhibits provide a comprehensive overview of the INC's development, its contributions to society, and its role in promoting Christian values. 

The exhibits often include photographs, artifacts, and multimedia presentations, offering visitors a deeper understanding of the organization's journey.

The 100th anniversary celebrations also involve humanitarian initiatives aimed at extending support to communities in need. The INC organizes medical missions, food drives, and outreach programs to uplift the less fortunate and address societal challenges. These activities reflect the organization's commitment to embodying the teachings of Christ through acts of kindness and service.

Moreover, the INC hosts concerts, musical productions, and cultural performances that showcase the artistic talents of its members. These events celebrate the vibrant cultural diversity within the Church and create opportunities for members to showcase their talents and creativity.

Furthermore, the 100th anniversary is an occasion for the Iglesia ni Cristo to engage in interfaith dialogues and outreach. The organization seeks to promote understanding, respect, and unity among different religious communities through collaborative events and discussions. These initiatives aim to foster harmonious relationships and promote peace within society.

Testimonials and Stories

A. Personal stories and experiences from members of the INC

The 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo provides a platform for members to share their personal stories and experiences. These testimonials highlight the transformative power of faith and the positive impact of the INC in their lives. Members may share stories of spiritual growth, answered prayers, and instances where their faith has provided them with strength during challenging times.

B. The role of the INC in transforming lives

Testimonials from individuals who have experienced profound changes in their lives through their involvement with the Iglesia ni Cristo can be shared. These stories can showcase how the INC has provided guidance, support, and a sense of belonging to individuals who were previously lost or struggling. 

They highlight the organization's role in helping individuals find purpose, build meaningful relationships, and achieve personal growth.

C. Inspiring anecdotes of faith and perseverance

Anecdotes that demonstrate the unwavering faith and perseverance of INC members can be shared to inspire readers. These stories may include instances of overcoming obstacles, standing firm in one's beliefs, or witnessing miracles. They emphasize the power of faith and the resilience of individuals who have faced challenges with unwavering trust in God.

Commemorating a Century: Reflection and Vision

A. Reflecting on the achievements and challenges of the past 100 years

The 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo provides an opportune time to reflect on the organization's achievements and challenges throughout its history. This section can highlight significant milestones, such as the establishment of new congregations, the expansion of international missions, and the growth in membership. 

It can also address the challenges faced, such as political persecution, social opposition, and natural disasters.

B. Future goals and aspirations for the Iglesia ni Cristo

This section can explore the vision and goals of the Iglesia ni Cristo for the future. It can discuss the organization's commitment to spreading the message of Christ, expanding its reach, and continuing its commitment to community service and humanitarian initiatives. 

It can also touch upon the INC's plans to strengthen its internal infrastructure, enhance its educational programs, and promote interfaith dialogue and understanding.

C. The continued relevance and importance of the INC in the modern world

In this section, the blog can discuss the enduring relevance and significance of the Iglesia ni Cristo in the modern world. It can highlight how the organization continues to provide spiritual guidance, moral values, and a sense of community amidst the challenges of the contemporary era. 

The blog can also delve into the INC's efforts to adapt to technological advancements, utilize social media platforms, and engage with younger generations to ensure its message remains accessible and impactful.

Conclusion

A. Recap the significance of the 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo

The conclusion of the blog can summarize the importance and significance of the 100th anniversary milestone for the Iglesia ni Cristo. It can emphasize the organization's enduring faith, dedication to service, and impact on the lives of its members and communities worldwide.

B. Express appreciation for the accomplishments of the INC

The blog can express gratitude for the contributions of the Iglesia ni Cristo over the past century and acknowledge the dedication of its leaders and members in upholding the organization's principles and teachings.

C. Encourage readers to learn more about the Iglesia ni Cristo and its centennial celebration

In the final section, the blog can encourage readers to delve deeper into the history, teachings, and activities of the Iglesia ni Cristo. It can provide information on how individuals can learn more about the organization, attend events, or connect with local congregations. 

By fostering curiosity and understanding, the blog aims to promote a greater appreciation for the Iglesia ni Cristo and its centennial celebration.

In conclusion, the 100th anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo represents a momentous occasion in the history of the organization. It is an opportunity to reflect on its journey, celebrate its achievements, and look forward to a future guided by faith, service, and unity. 

Through its teachings, impact on communities, and commitment to the betterment of society, the Iglesia ni Cristo continues to leave an indelible mark on the lives of its members and the world around them.

The 4 Day Visit of Pope Francis to the Filipino People

Pope Francis had arrive on January 15, Thursday (5:32 PM PST) in Manila at the "Villamor Air Base" which has already been discussed on the previous post (Day 1). So on his second day, he paid a visit to the Malacanang Palace. Instead of taking a ride on his "pope mobile", he rode on a "Volkswagen Touran".

Day 2 (January 16, Friday)

As the pope was drove to Malacanang, he rolled down the window of the car to wave his hands to the Filipino people.

The pope actually visited the Malacanang Palace (as the head of the Vatican) due to the courtesy call of the Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

Speech from the Philippine President

At the presence of Pope Francis in Malacanang, President Benigno Aquino III had made a speech about the contribution of the local Church in the country especially in the past. At first, he acknowledged the local Church in their effort of opposing the undemocratic policies of the Marcos Administration which was also followed by the "People Power Revolution".

After recognizing the role of the local Church in the past, Aquino then criticized them for not taking action against "corruptions" and "abuses" of the previous Administrations (particularly during the time of the former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo). As for the funny part, the President claims that some members of the local clergy were telling him something bad about his baldness.

Speech from Pope Francis

Pope Francis' speech was more focused on the government corruptions of the country. He told them that, as the political leaders, they themselves should set the example for "outstanding honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good". In addition to corruptions, they should also put more of their focus to the poor Filipino people. So instead of stealing from the government, those resources will serve much better if used to aid the poor.

The pontiff had also expressed his admiration to all Filipinos affected by the typhoon Yolanda because of their "heroic strength, faith and resiliencies". As a matter of fact, the purpose of his visit was to "express his closeness" to all Filipino people who endured and suffered losses caused by the devastation of the typhoon.

Mass at the Manila Cathedral

Pope Francis had finally chosen to take a ride on the popemobile on his way to the Manila Cathedral. At this place, a Mass was held but to only few selected participants. According to some sources, they are people composing of bishops, priests, nuns, seminarians and about 500 laypersons (a total of 1,500 individuals).

At the pontiff's homily, he addressed the issues regarding about the "inequality" and "injustice" to the Philippine society.

The pope's next held event was at the SM Mall of Asia Arena where he meet the "families". There were actually 300 Filipinos that belonged from the poor class that was invited by the Caritas Manila. They were given special treatment where they were assigned to occupy the center portion of the arena allowing them to have a clear and better view of the pope.

Day 3 (January 17, Saturday)

On the 3rd day of Pope Francis' visit, he paid a visit to the typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) victims in Palo, Leyte and had conducted a Mass.

The pope took a ride on the Airbus A320 flight (operated by the Philippine Airlines) where they took-off from the Villamor Air Base at exactly 7:37 AM (PST). At around 8:50 AM (PST), their plane arrived at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (Tacloban, Leyte). Pope Francis was then welcomed by Palo Archbishop John F. Du.

Pope Francis actually intends to visit various places of Leyte but unfortunately, typhoon "Amang" suddenly became stronger which was categorized by PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) as storm signal no. 2. Thus, the Vatican had decided to shorten his trip.

The Holy Mass was held at the Tacloban Airport but after the mass, a tragic accident had occurred where a 27-year old women (from Samar) got caught under by a scaffolding cause by the strong winds of the typhoon. Sad to say that she died.

After the mass, the pope spent his time by having a launch together with the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors at the Archbishop's Residence in Palo. He then had a brief meeting with the families of the survivors of typhoon Yolanda and religious sectors of the community at the Palo Cathedral. Aside from meeting the survivors, the pope had also conducted a mass blessing to all the graves of the typhoon victims which completed his 3rd day visit.

Pope Francis returned in Manila at around 2:00 PM (PST).

Day 4 (January 18, Sunday)

On the 4th day of Pope Francis' visit in the Philippines, he visited the University of Santo Tomas where he met about 24,000 youth representatives along with other public spectators. The gathering was held at the University of Santo Tomas Field situated near the Grandstand.

Back in 1995 when Pope John Paul "the 2nd" visited the Philippines, he conducted a Mass known as "World Youth Day" at the Quirino Grandstand Luneta Park. At that time, there were about five million attendees setting a record for the largest papal gathering in the history. However, this record was broken by Pope Francis' on his third mass in the Philippines. According to the Metro Manila Development Authority, there were about six million Filipino people who attended the mass.

Day 5 (January 19, Monday)

President Benigno Aquino III and his Cabinet Secretaries along with the number of Catholic bishops had conducted a "leaving-ceremony" for the pontiff before he goes back to Rome. At around 10:12 AM (PST), the pope departed from the Manila airport on a chartered Philippine Airlines which was the "Airbus A340-300".

Controversies and Incidents During Pope Francis' Visits

While Pope Francis was in the country, there were several controversies that circulated around the media and some unexpected incidents that occurred. Despite of the sad news, they became a part of the history's pontiff visit in the Philippines.

Controversies

1. Street Children were Driven by the Authorities

On January 14th, there was an exclusive report about an alleged "children rights violations" in Manila claiming that the authorities had driven away the street children. This was for the preparation of the pope's visit so that the guests won't be seeing them on sight. But in addition to driving them away, some sources claims that they were detained by the Philippine police authorities that some of them were treated with physical and sexual abuse. Worst, children who attempted to escape were chained into the pillars.

2. Pope Francis and President Aquino Speeches

Both Pope Francis and President Benigno Aquino III had their speech at the Malacanang Palace. They do both have a point but the difference was that, the pope's speech was greatly praised by the Filipino people while the president's speech was criticized by many.

3. No Race. No Religion T-Shirt

A controversial T-Shirt was pulled out from the shelves due to its "misleading" slogan, "No race. No religion. I embrace diversity". This T-Shirt was printed by one of the largest TV network in the Philippines, ABS-CBN and were sold at various shops in Manila.

4. Objects Used by the Pope

The pontiff had touched and used various objects on his visits in the country which includes his chair, cups and some piece of clothing. According to some individuals, they are now considered as holy-objects which must be treated with special care.

Did you know that the pope's raincoat was torn into small pieces and was distributed to the devotees?

Incidents

1. Bombardier Global Express Plane

Just minutes away when the pope left Tacloban, Bombardier Global Express plane had skidded off the runway of the Daniel Z. Romualdez airport upon its takeoff. On board the plane were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Communications Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma Jr., Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista and the officials' staff and security. Also included in the plane were the three airplane staffs. According to some sources, there were a total of 15 passengers on board the plane.

2. A 27 year-old Volunteer Died

Unfortunately, someone died during the time of the pontiffs visit in the Philippines. She was "Kristel Padasa", a 27 year-old women who was a charity worker.

At the event of Pope Francis' visit in Tacloban, Kristel was one of the volunteers at the mass held near airport. She then unexpectedly caught under by a scaffolding behind her that got collapse due to the strong winds caused by the in-coming typhoon, "Amang".

Kristel was immediately rushed into St. Paul's Hospital in Tacloban City. However, she was later pronounced dead shortly just after the Catholic church leaders had departed. According to some reports, the cause of her death was due to "skull fracture".

3. Two Women Fighting for their Spot

While the pope was conducting a mass, two women were causing a scene from the crowd fighting for the spot in which one of them claimed that she was there first.

Moreover, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle had invited Pope Francis to return next year because the Philippines will be the host of the "51st International Eucharistic Congress". This event will be held in Cebu on January 2016.

Will the pontiff accept the invitation?

Pope Francis Arrival in the Philippines

On January 15, 2015 - Pope Francis had finally arrived at the Manila Airport (Villamor Airbase), Philippines. A huge crowd of Filipino people were already gathered around the streets even from the time when the Pope's plane had just landed on the airport. And when Pope Francis came out from the plane, the people started jumping with joy, clapping and cheering.

Pope Francis was warmly welcomed by a festive atmosphere. There were actually about 1,500 school children who prepared an entertaining lively dance waving some kind of white cloths and blue umbrellas (with red, white and blue color representing the Philippine flag). But, the most catchy part were their shirt with printed message that goes "Mabuhay Pope Francis!".

After meeting various top government officials and fellow Filipino priests, he was escorted into his "Pope-Mobile". He stood at the back of his vehicle which has no protective walls despite of the several threats against him. As the pope-mobile started to move, Pope Francis also began waving his hand and smiling from the huge crowd of Filipino people. The trip took about 35 minutes starting from the airport to the Vatican's Embassy where he will take his rest for the night.

Pope Francis' Security

In the past, there were already two cases of popes that got nearly assassinated in Manila. Pope Paul VI was the first victim in 1970 where a Bolivian Artist dressed as a priest had tried to stab him just after his arrival from the airport. The second pontiff was Pope John Paul II where the police authorities heard an accidental-fire from the militant's rented apartment.

Today, Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines surely does involve the same risk (assassination attempts) that occurred in the past. Due to this reason, the government authorities had deployed about 50, 000 soldiers and police around the city of Manila. Three days ago, President Benigno Aquino had even personally inspected the motorcade routes and public venues to ensure the security of the pope.

Snipers were also positioned at various spots around Manila so as sniffer dogs were on patrol. In fact, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas had even offered himself to become a personal bodyguard of the pope.

Concerns to the authorities even became worse as the pontiff decides not to travel in a bullet-proof vehicle exposing himself at a higher risk. His reasons was to be able to get closer to the faithful people around him. So with such risks, the president had made a national television announcement asking all Filipinos to help the authorities in protecting the pontiff.

With all of those security for the pope, this day had made its mark in the Philippine history as one of the biggest security operations held in the country.

The Main Purpose of Pope Francis' Visit

As the fourth pope to visit the Philippines, his main purpose is actually to pay a visit to the victims of the Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. This was the typhoon that took 7,350 (other sources claims its 6,300) Filipino lives. Thus, Pope Francis is scheduled to conduct a mass on Saturday in Tacloban with an expected 2 million people to attend.

Who is Pope Francis?

Pope Francis' real complete name is "Jorge Mario Bergoglio". He is an Italian-blooded Latin American who came from a migrant family. Surprisingly, Pope Francis lived in a large Catholic country with millions in poverty. Other than the poverty, he also struggled under a dictatorship.

The time came when Pope Francis had decided to visit the Philippines from January 15 to 19 of 2015. He even came up with a preferred nickname for the Filipinos to call him. Filipinos can actually call him as "Lolo Kiko" (lolo means "grandfather" while Kiko is derived from the name "Francisco").

According to Pope Francis, Philippines is very close to his heart because it looks very similar to his home country.

Moreover, the government had made an official declaration of a three-day public holiday in order to clear the traffic in Manila, the main capital of the country consisting of 12 million Filipino people. The Philippine financial markets were also closed.