Date | April 4, 2021 – April 24, 2022 |
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Location | Primarily in the Philippines (some events held outside the country) |
Type | Series of commemorations |
Theme | "Gifted to Give" (Matthew 10:8) |
Organized by | Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines |
Website | 500yoc |
The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines (500 YOC) was a quincentennial observed in the Philippines. It was held from April 4, 2021, to April 24, 2022, to commemorate the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines in 1521 when the Magellan expedition made a stopover in the islands.
Main article: 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines |
The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines celebrations was part of the larger 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) event organized by the Philippine government. The Philippine national government aims to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Filipinos' first contact with the Spanish in 1521 from a Filipino-centric point of view in 2021. The National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) was formed for this purpose in May 2018, when President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 55.[1] On January 28, 2019, President Duterte issued EO 103 formalizing the intent for the commemorations to be "Filipino-centric" and expanded the membership and scope of the NQC.[2]
The full name of the event commemorating the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines is "500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines"[3]
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) was the lead organizer of the quincentennial of the introduction of the Christianity in the Philippines.[4][5] CBCP President Bishop Pablo Virgilio David rejects the notion that celebrating the 500th anniversary of the introduction of the Philippines as also celebrating the Spanish colonization of the islands citing continued prevalence of the religion long after colonization and asserts that Filipino ancestors were "intelligent enough" to accept what is good and reject what is evil among the introductions made by the Spanish in the Philippines.[6]
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the commemorations were still held albeit modified to comply with protocols imposed in response to the health crisis.[7] Although about 50 projects related to the quincentennial were either canceled or indefinitely postponed.[8]
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) adopted the event's theme and logo on September 18, 2019. The theme is "Gifted to Give" was derived from Matthew 10:8. The logo used various elements such as a cross, a ship, the sun, a rosary. The logo depicts a ship with a cross as its mast with the central figure derived from First Baptism in the Philippines painting of Fernando Amorsolo.[9] The logo was designed by Edilberto Dionio, a theology student.[10] The logo was designed by Edilberto Dionio, a theology student.[11]
The commemoration of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines was supposed to culminate in April 2021 but was changed to be the kickoff month of the observances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result some events were held in 2022.[12]