1. The church that never resurrected.
The Churches in Europe were churches that were established firmly during its golden age but which eventually died out. All of them, like France and Ireland, who were once upon a time Catholic, do not have a single drop of Catholicism in them today.
The middle east once upon a time seat beds of Catholicism have only tiny groups of Catholicism today. Asia and the Philippines were never fully Catholic.
2. The Philippines, which celebrates its 500 years anniversary of Catholicism was never a Catholic nation. The official text book of History of the Catholic Church used in Philippine seminaries noted that the archipelago was never fully christianised because most of the missionaries who went there to evangelised the nation where tainted already by the heresy of modernism coming from the Reign of terror in France.
The poor catechising of the Filipino people were continued by the fact that problem priests in Europe were sent to the Philippines as place of exile. If there are missionary saints in the Philippines it was more because, by the providence of God, they were among those martyred in Asian pagan countries like Japan and Korea.
3. The influence of the 'illustrados.'
A group of Filipino known as 'gente de razor,' were like the 'enlightened' equivalent in Europe and in the States. They were mainly members of secret societies with anti-Catholic sentiments. The more popular of them, Jose Rizal, was pro-Catholic and pro-Spain.
The decay of Catholicism in Europe had its heavy toll in preventing the Philippines into developing into a true Catholic nation. The anti-Catholic movement brought by these 'gente de razor,' the equivalent of the 'enlightened' of the French reign of terror was joined by the conquest of the USA of the Philippines.
4. The Thomasites.
The USA, born from the the same philosophy of the Reign of Terror from France, joined the 'illustrados' to further pushed the Philippines to become more liberal and less Catholic. From this time on, the progress of the Philippines into becoming a true Catholic nation completely stopped. It would never become a truly Catholic nation. It would remain as non-Catholic as Europe and other non- Catholic nations. It would remain as a conglomeration of a thousand different religions.
5. A return.
The middle East and Europe were once upon a time truly Catholic. Now, they are no longer. But they can easily return since they know from whence they came from. The Philippines was never Catholic. It would not know where she came from and, therefore, cannot return. There had been good catholic bishops and priest in the Philippines; but they were known for a few virtues in which they excelled. But there was not one single known Catholic who can be described as knowledgeable of the entire Catholic Faith, like a St. Augustine or St.Thomas of Aquinas. Not a single bishops or priest. Today, many are known for heresies, like certain officers of the Bishop's conference who do not believe in hell or in the continuity of the existence of the Catholic Church.
6. The Filipino people.
By God's extraordinary intervention, the Filipinos had been described as the people who believed most in God. This is basic natural Faith. It cannot save but can easily be transformed into theological Faith and save souls. This natural Faith is ingrained in the nation and God, Himself, can easily build the theological virtue of Faith in their soul. And God has done it in many cases without the help of priests, bishops and nuns. The grace of God is maintaining this state of 'blissful ignorance' to build upon it the virtue of Faith. This is a Divine Intervention. It is not the work of men or of a church. In fact, it cannot be explained how this state of affair have remained in the nation and slowly guiding a very few towards the perfection of the Catholic Faith.
An attempt to explain this is because the people live in an island separated from the rest of the world. They had been in a lock down for centuries. This is an ideal environment for a life of repentance that leads to Faith in God. It is for this reason God had caused the world into a lock down; to foster a natural Faith in souls upon which true theological Faith can grow. What kept the Filipinos God-conscious is what God is doing to the whole world to make it God conscious. Hopefully, by the grace of God, may God find souls with the disposition of natural Faith, upon whom He may bestow the theological virtue of Faith unto the salvation of their souls.
