The Philippines’ newest saint, San Pedro Calungsod, is only its second.

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San Pedro Calungsod joined San Lorenzo Ruiz as the two Filipino saints. But I’m not sure if this is a cause for celebration.

Filipinos have been Christians for more than four centuries. The Philippines is the fifth largest Christian country behind Russia and Mexico; the only predominant Christian nation in southeast Asia; and has the largest christian population in Asia. But an eyebrow raising fact is that the country is only about to receive its second canonized saint, whereas the Vietnamese, not a Christian country, have more saints.

Although I’m not saying that Filipinos are not saint-worthy, there are reasons why they only have 2. To start with, works of Filipinos don’t easily alert the global community. Most of it are unpublished but sneaked because of financial challenges and prejudice to the race.

A fraction of Filipinos are Sunday Christians. They don’t live the faith. They only go to Sunday mass out of obligation not of own intention.

Another reason why a Filipino saint hardly come around is that they anticipate that one urging moment to be saint-like. There should be a super typhoon drastically damaging the country for Filipinos to help the victims while thousands of everyday victim of poverty are left suffering.

It is especially harder to be a Filipino saint now due to westernization. The movies they watch are bombarded with violence, nudity and sex. The advent of the internet does not help in temptation resistance, for pornography was never this accessible. So people in the province have a better chance to be saints, having no internet or even the basic electricity.

Th emerging Christian dividends may also trim the chances. Aside from Roman Catholicism, Filipino Christians can now opt to join Protestantism, Born Again, Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Mormonism, Jesus is Lord Church, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and more Christian denominators. These Filipinos are disqualified to be proclaimed as saints by not being a Roman Catholic.

What does it take to be a saint?

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