The day the Catholic church almost died – continuation:
Meanwhile, Isabelo de los Reyes, one of the many brains behind the resistance against the Americans, founded a church in July, 1901 and appointed Fr. Aglipay as head. Fr. Aglipay publicly refused the appointment and disowned the movement. But when the Pope decided not to remove the controversial friars from the parishes, Aglipay clearly saw the discrimination against the native priests and the futility of the struggle of the Filipino clergy. In a bold decision Fr. Aglipay broke off with Rome in October 17, 1902 and became the Obispo Maximo of the new church. This move created a stampede of priests and the faithful to the new church bringing with them the control of church properties.
Unable to stave off the exodus of the faithful, Archbishop Nozaleda asked the government to intervene and “… demanded … that the churches be restored to their bishops by armed interference of the constabulary” (Barrows, 10). But the American-colonial government required the matter to take its way in the courts. The Aglipayan church retained possession of the Church properties under a policy enunciated by Governor General Taft as “peaceable possession”, which allowed the property to remain with the possessor, the Aglipayan Church, until the courts decide on whose favor the properties should go.
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