Bishop Basilio Sancho, Sch. P. (17th Archbishop of Manila) December 15, 2014 will be the 227th death anniversary of Basilio Sancho, a Piarist priest who became the 17th Archbishop of Manila. He was born in Villanueva del Rebollar in Teruel Province, Spain on September 17, 1728 and studied at the Pious School in Zaragoza City. He entered the Piarist Order and made his first vows on February 18, 1745, taking “Santas Justa y Rufina” for religious name. He was ordained priest years later and taught Humanities in Zaragoza City, Philosophy to the Piarist juniors in Daroca City and Theology in Valencia City. Known for his strong character and vigorous mind, he was nominated Provincial Secretary and Procurator of the Aragon Province of the Order in 1762. Later, King Charles III named him Preacher for the Royal chapel and Theologian - Censor at the Inquisition Tribunal. He was also the confessor of the Prince of Asturias, the future King Charles IV. On December 28, 1765, when he was 37 years old, he received his appointment as Archbishop of Manila. His episcopal consecration took place on August 18, 1766. He accepted the Archbishopric in the hope of bringing the Piarist Order to the Philippines. He even asked for a relic of Calasanz and had it encrusted in his pectoral cross and requested four Piarist reli-gious to accompany him to the colony. However, due to the political and religious situation in those days, his desire did not materialize.Archbishop Sancho and companions arrived in the Philippines on July 18, 1767 and took possession of the Archdiocese of Manila six days later. He began preaching vigorously against vices and had the cathe-dral repaired and redecorated after it was ransacked by the British troops shortly before his arrival. It was during his term when the suppression of the Jesuits in the Philippines occurred. One of his legacy was the native priests he ordained, considered by critics to be far too numerous. He performed an average of 18 priesthood ordinations every year and provided many parishes with diocesan priests, especially Parian, Binondo, and the province of Bataan. A joke among the elites of the Philippine society at that time tells that “there were no boatmen to be found for the coasting vessels in the Pasig River because the archbishop had ordained them all.” How-ever, all the priests he ordained had at least a bachelor’s degree from a college or university. The origin of the Manila archdiocesan seminary as San Carlos Seminary was associated with him. One scholar believed that the controversy surrounding the ordinations of Archbishop Sancho became the catalyst for the blossoming of the Filipino nationalism. He was the Archbishop of Manila who eagerly enforced the episcopal visitation of parishes run by the friars. Sometime between the years 1767 and 1790, he ordered the transfer of the image of the Nazareno from the Recollect Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Intramuros to the Church in Quiapo. On May 18, 1771, he called the other bishops in the Philippines for the Provincial Council of Manila.Archbishop Basilio Sancho died in Manila on December 15, 1787.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 07:03:24 +0000
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