Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines, September 8, 2021
A great spiritual event occurred in the Philippines this week, as a group of 12 men and women were baptized into Christ in His holy Orthodox Church in the waters of the West Philippine Sea.
The dozen newly-illumined are all former members of a Monophysite church, reports the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam.
The head of the diocesan missionary department, Fr. Moses Kahilig, and other catechists visited the city of Dipolog in the Zamboanga del Norte Province to teach the basics of the Orthodox faith to those who had previously asked to be accepted into the Church.
The Baptisms were celebrated following the catechetical seminar.
OrthoChristian has previously reported on several mass Baptisms in the Philippines.
Does the Ancient Faith not recognize monophisite baptism?
No. Some monophysites are brought into the Church by some jurisdictions by Chrismation or other means, but that is an economia, and not the standard method of initiation into the Church.
Then there’s the interesting question of if the so-called monophysites present or ancient are really what is taught or ascribed to them in most seminary training/by the edicts of the councils. If they truly were that, then they aren’t Orthodox, but some serious scholars on both sides insist that was never what they really believed and still don’t. This was merely academic for a long time: how much contact did Copts and Armenians have with the Orthodox most of the time for 14-15 centuries? In many places, zero. In the U.S. it’s a lot more common and becomes a challenge for pastoral care. The Creed speaks of one baptism, I believe that was initially about people who fell away wanting to re-enter the church, but it may also apply to this situation, too. Some bishops have clearly thought it did. There are rules and normative procedures, yes, and for good reason, but proper application of them requires discernment. I don’t know this situation, but I’ve heard bishops instruct clergy to admit Copts to the chalice upon them making an Orthodox confession of faith. Regardless, it is good to read that Orthodoxy is catching on in less typically Orthodox places.