Martinez, Jamie Renee B.

BSN 2-D
GRIZAL | 5011| Mon to Sat | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

In not more than 5 sentences, write you reflection on how powerful the
Catholic Church was during Rizal’s time. State specific instances on how its
power was manifested.

During Spanish colonization, there was a union of the Church and the State,
making the Catholic orders and friars the most politically powerful, as they are
capable of controlling the religious and educational life of the Filipinos. System of
education was under the parish priest’s control by commanding what should and
should not be studied because they feared that more education would lead to
Filipino independence and loss of the Church’s control. They also held the most
extensive tracts of land, haciendas and encomiendas, causing the majority of the
lands in the Tagalog region to be owned by them. Foreclosure of mortgages and
outright land grabbing were prevalent acts as well. Catholic orders can also exercise
inspection of books by forcing the government to forbid the circulation of any
writings that can raise the consciousness of Filipinos, use forced labor in building
churches and their dwellings, and control taxation.