Question

What is the final decision of the Philippines resolving the issue of the First Easter Mass in 1521?

Answer 1

The first mass celebrated in the Philippines was on March 31, 1521, commonly known as Easter Sunday. The Sermon was headed by Father Pedro Valderrama in the outskirts along the shores of Antonio Pigafetta; this marked the First Holy that initiated the rise of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. Later conflicts arose over the actual place where the first mass was held during the Magellan-Elcano expedition in 1521; the dispute was later resolved by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). The NHCP gave reports affirming the findings after a long research by several scholars in 2018; they argued that Limasawa, currently in Southern Leyte, was the initial and actual site of the event (Son, 2011).

 

The initial disputes over the actual place of the event were first resolved by the National Historical Institute (NHI), which involved two committees of experts. The first panel was chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Emilio in 1995, while the second was headed by Benito, a historian, in 2008. The two panels came to the conclusion that Limasawa Island is the long-sought site. The resolution was thought to give a lasting solution to a long-time argument by the diverse institutions. However, in 2018, the NHCP received claims from societies and institutions like the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines to revisit the previous conclusion (Son, 2011). They claimed some materials had been discovered that were not considered in the first decision made. The research differed due to the conflicts of interest, which differed among the formed panels in the preceding years.

The initial disputes over the actual place of the event were first resolved by the National Historical Institute (NHI), which involved two committees of experts. The first panel was chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Emilio in 1995, while the second was headed by Benito, a historian, in 2008. The two panels came to the conclusion that Limasawa Island is the long-sought site.