Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila

The Archdiocese of Manila (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) is the archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, Makati, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasay, and portions of Taguig City (the Embo barangays). Its cathedral is the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Manila Cathedral, located in Intramuros, the old colonial city of Manila. The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title Immaculate Conception, is the principal patroness of the archdiocese as well as the country.

The Archdiocese of Manila is the oldest in the Philippines, created in 1579 as a diocese and elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese in 1595. Since its last territorial changes in 2003, the Archdiocese of Manila is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of the same name, which also include seven dioceses encompassing other parts of the National Capital Region such as Antipolo (Marikina), Cubao, Kalookan, Novaliches, Parañaque, Malolos (Valenzuela), and Pasig, as well as four dioceses of its surrounding provinces of Cavite (Diocese of Imus), Rizal (Diocese of Antipolo), Bulacan (Diocese of Malolos), and Laguna (Diocese of San Pablo).

In addition, the archdiocese also serves as de facto overseer of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, as well as the Apostolic Vicariates of Puerto Princesa and Taytay in Palawan, alongside all exempt dioceses of the Holy See (with the vicariates under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelization).

The archdiocese also owns, operates, and manages various extraterritorial assets and temporalities, such as EDSA Shrine; the radio station DZRV Radio Veritas 846 kHz along with Our Lady of Veritas Chapel (all in Quezon City) and transmitter (Taliptip, Bulakan); Mount Peace and Saint Michael retreat houses (Baguio City and Antipolo City, respectively); and the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way (Parañaque City). Additionally, the archdiocese is among the top 100 shareholders of the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

Since June 24, 2021, Cardinal José Fuerte Cardinal Advíncula has been the Archbishop of Manila.

History

File:Archbishop of Manila - colonial period throne room.jpg

Interior of the Throne Room of the Archbishop's Palace during the Spanish colonial period.

Per the efforts of conquistador Martín de Goiti – who founded the City of Manila by uniting the dominions of Sulayman III of Namayan, Sabag, Rajah Ache Matanda of Maynila who was a vassal to the Sultan of Brunei, and Lakan Dula of Tondo who was a tributary to Ming dynasty China – the Diocese of Manila was established on February 6, 1579, through the papal bull Illius Fulti Præsidio by Pope Gregory XIII, encompassing all Spanish colonies in Asia as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mexico. Fray Domingo de Salazar, a Dominican from the Convent of San Sebastian in Salamanca, Spain, was selected by King Philip II of Spain to be bishop of the new diocese and was presented to the pope.

Over the course of history and growth of Catholicism in the Philippines, the diocese was elevated in rank and new dioceses had been carved from its territory. On August 14, 1595, Pope Clement VIII raised the diocese to the status of an archdiocese with Bishop Ignacio Santibáñez its first archbishop. Three new dioceses were created as suffragans to Manila: Nueva Cáceres, Nueva Segovia, and Cebu. With the creation of these new dioceses, the territory of the archdiocese was reduced to the city of Manila and the adjoining civil provinces in proximity including Mindoro Island. It was bounded to the north by the Diocese of Nueva Segovia, to the south by the Diocese of Cebu, and to the southeast by the Diocese of Nueva Cáceres.

During the Spanish period, the archdiocese was ruled by a succession of Spanish and Latino archbishops. In the 1600s, Fr. Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga conducted a census of the Archdiocese of Manila, which encompassed most of Luzon, and he reported 90,243 native Filipino tributes;Template:Rp 10,512 Chinese (Sangley) and mixed Chinese Filipino mestizo tributes;Template:Rp and 10,517 mixed Spanish Filipino mestizo tributes.Template:Rp Pure Spaniards were excluded as they were exempt from tribute, with each tribute representing an average family of 6. Out of these, Martínez extrapolated a total population count exceeding half a million souls.Template:Rp

The 1762 British occupation of Manila during the Seven Years' War saw the temporary conversion of Sultan Azim ud-Din I of Sulu to Catholicism, the massive looting and destruction of ecclesiastical treasures, as well as the burning of churches by British soldiers, Sepoy mercenaries, and rebellious Chinese residents in Binondo. This episode was particularly damaging to Philippine scholarship as the monasteries holding archives and artefacts on the pre-colonial Philippine Rajahnates, Kedatuans, Sultanates, Lakanates, and Wangdoms and their conversion to Catholicism were either burnt, lost, or looted. An example would be the Boxer Codex, whose earliest owner Lord Giles of Ilchester had inherited it from an ancestor who stole it during the British Occupation.

Nevertheless, peace was subsequently restored after, Catholic religious orders became the powerful driving force in the Archdiocese of Manila (with the exception of the Jesuits who were temporarily suppressed in Spanish lands due to their role in anti-imperialist movements in Latin America like the Paraguayan Reductions). Local Filipino secular clergy resented the foreign religious orders due to their near-monopoly of ecclesiastical positions, which violated the declarations of the Council of Trent, stating that once an place is no longer a missionary area but a regular diocese, friars are to surrender parishes to secular priests. However, upon the suppression of the Jesuits, the Recollect Order took over the former’s parishes and surrendered their parishes to local secular clergy, temporarily assuaging Filipino yearnings. However upon the restoration of the Jesuits, the Recollects were forced to retake their parishes from the secular priests. The opposition of the religious orders against an autonomous diocesan clergy independent of them lead to the martyrdom of Filipino diocesan priests Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, Jacinto Zamora – collectively known as Gomburza –who were wrongly implicated in the Cavite Mutiny. This stemmed from fears that, because the priest Miguel Hidalgo lead the Mexican war of independence against Spain, the same could happen in the Philippines. Furthermore, Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez, who was a Freemason, upheld the vow to protect his Masonic brothers upon discovering the Mutiny was led by some of them (Máximo Innocencio, Crisanto de los Reyes, and Enrique Paraíso), and so shifted the blame to the Gomburza since they had inspired ethnic pride among Filipinos with their clerical campaign. Izquierdo asked the Catholic hierarchy in the person of Archbishop of Manila Gregorio Melitón Martínez to have them declared heretics and defrocked, but the latter he refused as he believed in the trio’s innocence. As the colonial government executed the Gomburza, church bells across the colony were rung in mourning. This inspired the Jesuit-educated nationalist José Rizal to form La Liga Filipina, to seek reforms from Spain and recognition of local clergy.

Rizal himself was executed in 1896 and La Liga Filipina dissolved. As cries for reform were ignored, formerly loyal Filipinos were radicalized and the 1896 Philippine revolution was triggered when the Spanish discovered the anti-colonial secret organisation Katipunan (formed with Masonic rites in mind despite Catholic opposition to Freemasonry, yet were dedicated to the martyred Catholic priests as “Gomburza” was a password in the Katipunan). The United States took the Philippines from Spain following the 1898 Spanish–American War; this turned the fighting into the 1899–1902 Philippine–American War, with many Katipuneros devastated their fellow American Masons killed the Katipunan, as American lodges dismissed the Revolutionary Masonic lodges as "irregular" and illegitimate, and Philippine Freemasonry placed under control of the Grand Lodge of California. Under American colonial control, the Catholic Church was disestablished as the state church of the Philippines, with the postwar period seeing some churches restored in the Art-Deco style. There was a looming threat of apostasy and schism with the rise of anti-clerical Philippine Freemasonry and the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church due to Filipino anger against Spanish ecclesiastical corruption. In response, Pope Leo XIII in 1902 excommunicated all adherents of the Philippine Independent Church, yet supported Philippine political independence with a policy of reinforcing orthodoxy and reconciliation. This resulted in a majority of Filipinos remaining in full communion with the Holy See, and a good number of those who had left the Church returning.

File:Old Ecclesiastical Seal of the Archdiocese of Manila.png

Old Ecclesiastical Seal of the Archdiocese of Manila, used until 1949

On April 10, 1910, Pope Pius X carved out from Manila the Diocese of Lipa, with jurisdiction over the provinces of Batangas, Tayabas, Marinduque, Laguna and Mindoro, and some parts of Masbate. In May 1928, Pope Pius XI established the Diocese of Lingayen, using territory from Manila and Nueva Segovia. In this creation, twenty-six parishes were separated from Manila.

December 8, 1941, marked the beginning of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. World War II marked a period of irreplaceable loss to the Archdiocese of Manila. The combination of violent theft and arson done by the Japanese and indiscriminate carpet bombing by the Americans during the Battle of Manila (1945) led to the permanent loss of many Gothic, Art-Deco, and Earthquake Baroque churches. Interestingly, then-Father Rufino Jiao Santos (a future Archbishop of Manila) was taken captive by the Japanese, but fortunately was saved by combined Filipino and American forces.

File:LaPurisimaInmaculadaConcepciondeRibera.jpg

The Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the archdiocese

In the aftermath of the war, in September 1942, Pope Pius XII declared Our Lady of Immaculate Conception as the Principal Patroness of the Philippines by virtue of the papal bull, Impositi Nobis, along with Pudentiana and Rose of Lima as secondary patrons.

Due to the heavy damages resulting from World War II, the Manila Cathedral underwent major rebuilding from 1946 to 1958. The Parish of San Miguel served as temporary pro-cathedral until the Manila Cathedral was reopened and consecrated in 1958.

On December 11, 1948, the Apostolic Constitution Probe Noscitur further divided the Archdiocese of Manila by placing the northern part of the local church in the new Diocese of San Fernando. On November 25, 1961, the Archdiocese of Manila was again partitioned with the creation of the Diocese of Malolos for the province of Bulacan in the north and the Diocese of Imus for the province of Cavite to the south.

Pope John Paul II declared the Manila Cathedral a minor basilica in 1981 through the motu proprio Quod ipsum, issued as a papal bull. In 1983, the province of Rizal, the city of Marikina, and northeastern portions of Pasig, were placed under the new Diocese of Antipolo.

The archdiocese witnessed many grace-filled church events such as the Second Synod of Manila (1911), the Third Synod of Manila (1925), the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress (1937), the First Plenary Council of the Philippines (1953), the papal visit of Pope Paul VI (1970), the Fourth Synod of Manila (1979), the papal visits of Pope John Paul II (the first in 1981 and the second in 1995), the National Marian Year (1985), the National Eucharistic Year (1987), the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (1991), the Second Provincial Council of Manila (1996), the Fourth World Meeting of Families (2003), and the papal visit of Pope Francis (2015).

In 2002, two more dioceses were carved out of the Archdiocese: the Diocese of Novaliches and the Diocese of Parañaque. In 2003, three more dioceses were erected: Cubao, Kalookan, and Pasig.

Coat of arms

The arms of the metropolitan see of Manila is an adaptation of the arms granted by Philip II of Spain to the insigne y siempre leal (“distinguished and ever loyal”) city of Manila in 1596. The silver crescent represents the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Manila Cathedral and of the entire Philippines. The tower represents God as described in Psalm 60: turris fortis contra inimicum (turris fortitudinis a facie inimici in the Galician psalter), and its three windows represent the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The sea lion represents the Philippines, then an ultramar (overseas) territory of Spain, and the pilgrim's cross which may be easily fixed on the ground symbolizes both the faith of the Filipino people and their missionary role in spreading the faith.

Archbishops

File:Manila Archdiocese Cathedra 2023-04-02.jpg

The marble cathedra of the Archbishop of Manila inside Manila Cathedral.

The seat of the archbishop is at Manila Cathedral. The Archbishop of Manila is widely regarded (de facto) as the primate of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The archdiocese has had the title of "Metropolitan of the Philippines" (Spanish: ) since its elevation in 1595.

After the first bishop of Manila Domingo de Salazar, the diocese became an archdiocese and there have been nineteen archbishops of Spanish origin. In 1903, the archdiocese received its first American archbishop, Jeremiah James Harty from St. Louis, Missouri. After him, the lone Irishman Michael J. O'Doherty was appointed in 1916, leading the church as Filipinos petitioned for sovereignty from the United States, and through the Japanese occupation during World War II.

When O'Doherty died after Philippine independence in 1946, coadjutor archbishop Gabriel Reyes became the first native Filipino in the position. Reyes' successor, Archbishop Rufino Jiao Santos, became the first Filipino cardinal in 1960. Since then, all archbishops were of Filipino origin and created cardinals.

After the departure of Cardinal-Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle to become prefect of Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on February 9, 2020, Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo was apostolic administrator for 17 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tagle's successor, then-Archbishop of Capiz José Fuerte Advíncula, was enthroned on June 24, 2021.

Ordinaries

Ordinaries of the Diocese/Metropolitan Archdiocese of Manila

No.	Portrait	Name	Coat of Arms	From	Until	Duration	Notes
Bishops of Manila (February 6, 1579 – August 14, 1595)
1	File:Domingo de Salazar.jpg	Domingo de Salazar, O.P. 1512–1594	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Feb 6, 1579	Dec 4, 1594	Template:Age in years, months and days	First bishop, died in office.
Metropolitan Archbishops of Manila (August 14, 1595 – present)
1	File:Ignacio Santibanez.jpg	Ignacio Santibáñez, O.F.M. 1512–1598	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Aug 30, 1595	Aug 14, 1598	Template:Age in years, months and days	First archbishop, died in office.
2	File:Miguel de Benavides1.JPG	Miguel de Benavides, O.P. 1552–1605	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Oct 7, 1602	Jul 26, 1605	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
3	File:Diego Vasquez de Mercado.jpg	Diego Vázquez de Mercado 1533–1616	File:Mitre plain 2.png	May 28, 1608	Jun 12, 1616	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
4	File:Miguel Garcia Serrano , O.S.A. (1620 - 1629).jpg	Miguel García Serrano, O.E.S.A. 1569–1629	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Feb 12, 1618	Jun 14, 1629	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
5	File:Hernando Guerrero , O.S.A. (1635 - 1641).jpg	Hernando Guerrero, O.E.S.A. 1567–1641	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Jan 9, 1634	Jul 1, 1641	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
6	File:Fernando Montero de Espinosa (1644 - 1645).jpg	Fernando Montero Espinosa 1640–1648	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Feb 5, 1646	1648	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
7	File:Miguel de Poblete y Casasola (cropped).jpg	Miguel de Poblete Casasola 1604–1667	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Jun 21, 1649	Dec 8, 1667	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
8	File:Juan Lopez.jpg	Juan López Galván, O.P. 1613–1674	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Nov 14, 1672	Feb 12, 1674	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
9	File:Felipe Pardo.jpg	Felipe Fernandez de Pardo, O.P. 1611–1689	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Jan 8, 1680	Dec 31, 1689	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
10	File:Diego Camacho y Avila (1697 - 1705).jpg	Diego Camacho y Ávila 1652–1712	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Nov 28, 1695	Jan 14, 1704	Template:Age in years, months and days	Appointed to Archdiocese of Guadalajara.
11	File:Francisco de la Cuesta.jpg	Francisco de la Cuesta, O.S.H. 1658–1724	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Apr 28, 1704	Sep 23, 1723	Template:Age in years, months and days	Appointed to Michoacán.
12	File:Carlos Bermudez Gonzalez (1722 - 1729).jpg	Carlos Bermudez de Castro 1678–1729	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Nov 20, 1724	Nov 13, 1729	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
13	File:Juan Angel Rodriguez.jpg	Juan Angel Rodríguez, O.SS.T. 1687–1742	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Dec 17, 1731	Jun 24, 1742	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
14	File:Pedro de la Trinidad.jpg	Pedro José Manuel Martínez de Arizala, O.F.M. 1690–1755	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Feb 3, 1744	May 28, 1755	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
15	File:Manuel Antonio Rojo del Rio Vera.jpg	Manuel Antonio Rojo del Río Vera 1708–1764	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Dec 19, 1757	Jan 30, 1764	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
16	File:Basilio Sancho de Santa Justa.jpg	Basilio Tomás Sancho Hernando, Sch. P. 1728–1787	File:Escudo de Basilio Sancho.svg	Apr 14, 1766	Dec 15, 1787	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
17	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Juan Antonio Gallego Orbigo, O.F.M. Disc. 1729–1797	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Dec 15, 1788	May 17, 1797	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
18	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Juan Antonio Zulaibar, O.P. 1753–1824	File:Coat of arms of Juan Antonio Zulaibar y Aldape.svg	Mar 26, 1804	Mar 4, 1824	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
19	File:Hilarion Diez.jpg	Hilarión Díez, O.E.S.A. 1761–1829	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Jul 3, 1826	May 7, 1829	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
20	File:Jose Segui , O.S.A. (1830 - 1845).jpg	José Seguí, O.E.S.A. 1773–1845	File:Mitre plain 2.png	Jul 5, 1830	Jul 4, 1845	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
21	File:José Julián de Aranguren.jpg	José Julián de Aranguren, O.A.R. 1801–1861	File:Coat of arms of José Julián Aranguren.svg	Jan 19, 1846	18 Apr 18, 1861	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
22	File:Gregorio Meliton Martinez (1862 - 1875).jpg	Gregorio Melitón Martínez Santa Cruz 1815–1885	File:Coat of arms of Gregorio Melitón Martínez Santa Cruz.svg	Dec 23, 1861	Sep 30, 1875	Template:Age in years, months and days	Retired.
23	File:Pedro Payo , O.P. (1876 - 1889 ).jpg	Pedro Payo y Piñeiro, O.P. 1814–1889	File:Coat of arms of Pedro Payo y Piñeiro.svg	Jan 28, 1876	Jan 1, 1889	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
24	File:Bernardino Nozaleda O.P. (1889 - 1902).jpg	Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa, O.P. 1844–1927	File:Coat of arms of Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa.svg	May 27, 1889	Feb 4, 1902	Template:Age in years, months and days	Appointed to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Valencia.
25	File:J. Harty 1904.jpg	Jeremiah James Harty 1853–1927	File:Coat of Arms of Jeremiah James Harty.svg	Jun 6, 1903	May 16, 1916	Template:Age in years, months and days	Appointed to Omaha.
26	File:1940 Portrait Archbishop Michael J. O'Doherty.jpg	Michael J. O'Doherty 1874–1949	File:Coat of arms of Michael James O’Doherty.svg	Sep 6, 1916	Oct 13, 1949	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
27	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Gabriel M. Reyes 1892–1952	File:Coat of Arms of Gabriel Martellino Reyes.svg	Oct 13, 1949	Oct 10, 1952	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
28	File:Rufino J. Cardinal Santos.jpg	Rufino J. Cardinal Santos 1908–1973	File:Coat of arms of Rufino Santos.svg	Feb 10, 1953	Sep 3, 1973	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
29	File:Cardinal Jaime Sin in 1988.jpg	Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, O.F.S. 1928–2005	File:Coat of arms of Jaime Lachica Sin.svg	Mar 19, 1974	Sep 15, 2003	Template:Age in years, months and days	Died in office.
30	File:Cardinal Rosales.jpg	Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales 1932–	File:Coat of arms of Gaudencio Rosales.svg	Nov 21, 2003	Oct 13, 2011	Template:Age in years, months and days	Retired.
31	File:Luis Antonio Tagle at Manila in 2016 (cropped).jpg	Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle 1957–	File:Coat of arms of Luis Antonio Tagle.svg	Dec 12, 2011	Feb 9, 2020	Template:Age in years, months and days	Appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
32	File:Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula 2025-06-29.jpg	Jose F. Cardinal Advíncula, O.P. 1952–	File:Coat of arms of Jose Fuerte Advincula (Manila).svg	Jun 24, 2021	Incumbent	Template:Age in years, months and days (ongoing)	Current Archbishop.

Timeline

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bar:Salazar
 from: 1579 till: 1594 color:bishop         text:"Domingo Salazar (O.P.)"
bar:Santibanez
 from: 1595 till: 1598 color:archbishop     text:"Ignacio Santibáñez (O.F.M.)"
bar:Benavides
 from: 1602 till: 1605 color:archbishop     text:"Miguel de Benavides (O.P.)"
bar:VazquezMercado
 from: 1608 till: 1616 color:archbishop     text:"Diego Vázquez de Mercado"
bar:GarciaSerrano
 from: 1618 till: 1629 color:archbishop     text:"Miguel García Serrano (O.E.S.A.)"
bar:Guerrero
 from: 1634 till: 1641 color:archbishop     text:"Fernando Guerrero (O.E.S.A.)"
bar:MonteroEspinosa
 from: 1646 till: 1648 color:archbishop     text:"Fernando Montero Espinosa"
bar:PobleteCasasola
 from: 1649 till: 1667 color:archbishop     text:"Miguel de Poblete Casasola"
bar:Lopez
 from: 1672 till: 1674 color:archbishop     text:"Juan López"
bar:FernandezPardo
 from: 1680 till: 1689 color:archbishop     text:"Felipe Fernandez de Pardo (O.P.)"
bar:CamachoAvila
 from: 1695 till: 1704 color:archbishop     text:"Diego Camacho y Ávila"
bar:DeLaCuesta
 from: 1704 till: 1723 color:archbishop     text:"Francisco de la Cuesta (O.S.H.)"
bar:BermudezCastro
 from: 1724 till: 1729 color:archbishop     text:"Carlos Bermudez de Castro"
bar:Rodriguez
 from: 1731 till: 1742 color:archbishop     text:"Angel Rodríguez (O.SS.T.)"
bar:MartinezArizala
 from: 1744 till: 1755 color:archbishop     text:"Pedro José Manuel Martínez de Arizala (O.F.M.)"
bar:RojoDelRio
 from: 1757 till: 1764 color:archbishop     text:"Manuel Antonio Rojo del Río Vera"
bar:SanchoHernando
 from: 1766 till: 1787 color:archbishop     text:"Basilio Tomás Sancho Hernando (Sch. P.)"
bar:GallegoOrbigo
 from: 1788 till: 1797 color:archbishop     text:"Juan Antonio Gallego Orbigo (O.F.M. Disc.)"
bar:Zulaibar
 from: 1804 till: 1824 color:archbishop     text:"Juan Antonio Zulaibar (O.P.)"
bar:Diez
 from: 1826 till: 1829 color:archbishop     text:"Hilarión Díez (O.E.S.A.)"
bar:Segui
 from: 1830 till: 1845 color:archbishop     text:"José Seguí (O.E.S.A.)"
bar:Aranguren
 from: 1846 till: 1861 color:archbishop     text:"José Aranguren (O.A.R.)"
bar:MartinezSantaCruz
 from: 1861 till: 1875 color:archbishop     text:"Gregorio Melitón Martínez Santa Cruz"
bar:PayoPineiro
 from: 1876 till: 1889 color:archbishop     text:"Pedro Payo y Piñeiro (O.P.)"
bar:NozaledaVilla
 from: 1889 till: 1902 color:archbishop     text:"Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa (O.P.)"
bar:Harty
 from: 1903 till: 1916 color:archbishop     text:"Jeremiah James Harty"
bar:ODoherty
 from: 1916 till: 1949 color:archbishop     text:"Michael James O'Doherty"
bar:Reyes
 from: 1949 till: 1952 color:archbishop     text:"Gabriele M. Reyes"
bar:Santos
 from: 1953 till: 1973 color:cardinal       text:"Rufino J. Cardinal Santos"
bar:Sin
 from: 1974 till: 2003 color:cardinal       text:"Jaime L. Cardinal Sin (O.F.S.)"
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 from: 2003 till: 2011 color:cardinal       text:"Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales"
bar:Tagle
 from: 2011 till: 2019 color:cardinal       text:"Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle"
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 from: 2021 till: end  color:cardinal       text:"Jose F. Cardinal Advíncula (O.P.)"

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Coadjutor Archbishops

Coadjutor Bishops of Manila

No.	Portrait	Name	From	Until	Duration	Notes
1	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Romualdo J. Ballesteros, O.P. 1808–1872	20 Jun 1845	19 Jan 1846	6 months, 30 days	Appointed bishop of Cebu.
2	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Gabriel M. Reyes 1892–1952	25 Aug 1949	13 Oct 1949	1 month, 18 days	Succeeded Archbishop Michael O’Doherty on 13 Oct 1949.

Auxiliary Bishops

Auxiliary Bishops of the Archdiocese of Manila

No.	Portrait	Name	From	Until	Duration	Notes
Auxiliary Bishops of Manila
1	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Gines Barrientos, O.P. 1637–1698	9 Apr 1680	13 Nov 1698	18 years, 6 months, 15 days	First known auxiliary bishop of Manila.
2	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	William Finnemann, S.V.D. 1882–1942	8 Feb 1929	4 Dec 1936	7 years, 9 months, 26 days	Appointed Prefect of Mindoro; martyred during WWII.
3	File:César María Guerrero.JPG	Cesare Maria Guerrero 1885–1961	16 Dec 1937	14 May 1949	11 years, 4 months, 28 days	Later appointed Bishop of San Fernando.
4	File:Rufino J. Cardinal Santos.jpg	Rufino J. Santos 1908–1973	19 Aug 1947	10 Feb 1953	5 years, 5 months, 22 days	Later became Cardinal Archbishop of Manila.
5	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Vicente P. Reyes 1907–1983	12 Jun 1950	19 Jan 1961	10 years, 7 months, 7 days	appointed Bishop of Borongan.
6	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Hernando Antiporda 1914–1975	19 Aug 1954	13 Dec 1975	21 years, 3 months, 24 days	Died in office.
7	File:Pedro Natividad Bantigue.webp	Pedro Bantigue y Natividad 1920–2012	29 May 1961	26 Jan 1967	5 years, 7 months, 28 days	Later Bishop of San Pablo.
8	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Bienvenido M. Lopez 1924–1995	3 Dec 1966	27 Apr 1995	28 years, 4 months, 24 days	Longest-serving auxiliary bishop of Manila.
9	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Artemio G. Casas 1920–2001	4 Sep 1968	11 May 1974	5 years, 8 months, 7 days	Later appointed Archbishop of Jaro.
10	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Amado Paulino y Hernandez 1913–1985	25 Feb 1969	9 Mar 1985	16 years, 12 days	died in office.
11	File:Cardinal Rosales.jpg	Gaudencio B. Rosales 1932–	12 Aug 1974	9 Jun 1982	7 years, 9 months, 28 days	Appointed coadjutor of Malaybalay, Later became Cardinal Archbishop of Manila.
12	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Oscar V. Cruz 1934–2020	4 Mar 1976	22 May 1978	2 years, 2 months, 18 days	Appointed Archbishop of San Fernando.
13	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Leonard Z. Legaspi, O.P. 1935–2014	25 Jun 1977	20 Oct 1983	6 years, 3 months, 25 days	Later became Archbishop of Caceres.
14	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Protacio G. Gungon 1925–2006	8 Jul 1977	24 Jan 1983	5 years, 6 months, 16 days	Appointed Bishop of Antipolo.
15	File:Bishop Manuel C. Sobreviñas.jpg	Manuel C. Sobreviñas 1924–2020	7 Apr 1979	25 Feb 1993	13 y, 10 m, 18 d	Appointed Bishop of Imus.
16	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Gabriel V. Reyes 1941–	20 Jan 1981	21 Nov 1992	11 years, 10 months, 1 day	Appointed Bishop of Kalibo.
17	File:BasilicaSanSebastianjf8638 06.JPG	Teodoro J. Buhain Jr. 1937–2024	5 Jan 1983	23 Sep 2003	20 years, 8 months, 18 days	Retired.
18	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Juan B. Velasco Díaz, O.P. 1911–1985	May 1983	9 Jul 1984	1 year, 2 months	Appointed as Bishop of Xiamen.
19	File:Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, O.P.jpg	Teodoro C. Bacani Jr. 1940–	6 Mar 1984	7 Dec 2002	18 years, 9 months, 1 day	Appointed Bishop of Novaliches.
20	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Leoncio L. Lat 1917–2002	1985	12 Dec 1992	approx 7 years	retired.
21	File:Archbishop Ramon Argüelles.jpg	Ramon C. Argüelles 1944–	26 Nov 1993	25 Aug 1995	1 year, 8 months	Appointed Archbishop of Lipa.
22	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Crisostomo A. Yalung 1953–	25 Mar 1994	18 Oct 2001	7 years, 6 months, 23 days	Appointed bishop of Antipolo.
23	File:Rolando Tirona.jpg	Rolando Joven T. Tirona, O.C.D. 1946–	15 Nov 1994	14 Dec 1996	2 years, 29 days	Appointed Bishop of Malolos.
24	File:Bishop-Jesse21.jpg	Jesse E. Mercado 1951–	25 Feb 1997	7 Dec 2002	5 years, 9 months, 12 days	Appointed Bishop of Parañaque.
25	File:Archbishop Socrates Villegas, O.P.jpg	Socrates B. Villegas 1960–	25 Jul 2001	3 May 2004	2 years, 9 months, 8 days	Appointed Bishop of Balanga.
26	File:Archdiocese of Manila coat of arms.svg	Bernardino C. Cortez 1949–	31 May 2004	27 Oct 2014	10 years, 4 months, 27 days	Appointed Bishop of Infanta.
27	File:Bishop Broderick Pabillo at the Manila Cathedral 2023-10-29.jpg	Broderick S. Pabillo 1955–	24 May 2006	29 Jun 2021	15 years, 1 months, 5 days	Appointed Vicar Apostolic of Taytay.

Priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Francisco Sales Reyes y Alicante, appointed Bishop of the Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres (now Archdiocese of Caceres) in 1925
• Artemio Gabriel Casas, appointed 1st Bishop of Imus in 1961; later returned to the archdiocese as auxiliary bishop
• Felix Paz Perez, appointed 2nd Bishop of Imus in 1969
• Antonio Realubin Tobias, appointed auxiliary bishop of Zamboanga in 1982, then bishop of the Diocese of Pagadian, Diocese of San Fernando in La Union, and finally Diocese of Novaliches until retirement in 2019
• Francisco Capiral San Diego, appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Palawan in 1983, then became Apostolic Vicar of Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, 2nd bishop of the Diocese of San Pablo, Laguna and later 1st bishop of the Diocese of Pasig.
• Francisco Mendoza de Leon, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo (September 1, 2007 – November 21, 2015), Coadjutor Bishop of Antipolo (November 22, 2015 – September 10, 2016) and 4th Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo (September 10, 2016 – July 22, 2023).
• Socrates Buenaventura Villegas, 3rd Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga (May 3, 2004 – November 4, 2009) and 5th Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan (November 4, 2009 – present)
• Ruperto Cruz Santos, 4th Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga (April 1, 2010 – July 22, 2023), 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Antipolo (July 22, 2023 – present)
• Roberto Orendain Gaa, 3rd Bishop of the Diocese of Novaliches (August 24, 2019 – present)
• Jose Alan Verdejo Dialogo, 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Sorsogon (October 15, 2019 – present)
• Arnaldo Sanchez Catalan, Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda (January 31, 2022 – present)
• Rufino Coronel Sescon Jr., 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga (March 1, 2025 – present)

Suffragan dioceses and bishops

Diocese	Image	Bishop	Period in Office	Coat of Arms	Diocese Logo
Antipolo (Rizal)	File:Ruperto Santos Augustine Baliwag Shrine1.jpg	Ruperto C. Santos	May 24, 2023 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Ruperto Cruz Santos (Antipolo).svg	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Antipolo.svg
Cubao (Quezon City)	File:Bishop Elias Ayuban Divine Mercy Fiesta (3) 2025-04-27.jpg	Elias L. Ayuban, C.M.F.	October 04, 2024 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Elias Lumayog Ayuban Jr.svg	File:Diocese of Cubao coat of arms.svg
Imus (Cavite)	File:Bishop Reynaldo G. Evangelista, O.F.S.jpg	Reynaldo G. Evangelista	April 08, 2013 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Reynaldo Evangelista.svg	File:Diocese of Imus coat of arms.svg
Kalookan (South Caloocan, Malabon City, Navotas City)	File:Pablo Virgilio David in 2014 (Retouched).jpg	Pablo Virgilio S. Cardinal David	October 14, 2015 –present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Pablo Virgilio David (cardinal).svg	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Kalookan.svg
Malolos (Bulacan, Valenzuela City)	File:72Canonical Installation of Dennis Villarojo 13.jpg	Dennis C. Villarojo	May 14, 2019 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Dennis Villarojo as Bishop of Malolos.svg	File:Diocese of Malolos coat of arms.svg
Novaliches (Quezon City, North Caloocan)	File:Most Rev. Roberto O. Gaa, 2023.jpg	Roberto O. Gaa	June 06, 2019 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Roberto Orendain Gaa.svg	File:Diocese of Novaliches coat of arms.svg
Parañaque (Parañaque City, Las Piñas City, Muntinlupa City)	File:Bishop-Jesse21.jpg	Jesse E. Mercado	December 07, 2002 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of Arms of Jesse Eugenio Mercado.svg	File:Diocese of Parañaque.svg
Pasig (Pasig City, Pateros, Taguig City)	File:Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara at the Manila Cathedral 2025-06-29.jpg	Mylo Hubert C. Vergara	April 20, 2011 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Mylo Hubert Vergara.svg	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Pasig.svg
San Pablo (Laguna)	File:Most Rev. Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit Jr.jpg	Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit	September 21, 2024 – present (Template:Age in years and days)	File:Coat of arms of Marcelino Antonio Malabanan Maralit (San Pablo).svg	File:Coat of arms of the Diocese of San Pablo (original).svg

Formation of priests

The archdiocese administers San Carlos Seminary, the archdiocesan major seminary which caters to the formation of future priests for the archdiocese and for its suffragan dioceses. Located in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati, it has a pre-college program (senior high school and formation year), a college program (A.B., philosophy), and a graduate school (master's program in theology or pastoral ministry), as well as a formation houses for future priests committed to serve the Filipino-Chinese communities in the country (Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society) and a center for adult vocations (Holy Apostles Senior Seminary). The archdiocese also operates Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary for young men at the secondary school level. It is located a few blocks from San Carlos Seminary.

Schools

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila Educational System (RCAMES) comprises 27 archdiocesan and parochial schools. The archbishop of Manila exercises authority in each member school and appoints a superintendent for the entire system to implement decisions and resolve issues. The member schools are:

See also

• List of Catholic dioceses in the Philippines
• Catholic Church in the Philippines
• The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary

References

Sources

• Population of the Archdiocese of Manila Statistics of Manila Archdiocese
• Template:Official website
• Template:CathEncy
• Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502–1585. "Bull for erection of the Diocese and Cathedral Church of Manila." In The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898. Cleveland, Ohio: A.H. Clark Company, 1903–9. Vol. 4, 1576–82. pp. 119–124.
• 5 Seminaries under the Archdiocese of Manila

COFOR – The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila