The Most Famous
RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Philippines
This page contains a list of the greatest Filipino Religious Figures. The pantheon dataset contains 2,238 Religious Figures, 12 of which were born in Philippines. This makes Philippines the birth place of the 35th most number of Religious Figures behind Croatia and Canada.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Filipino Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Filipino Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Filipino Religious Figures.
1. Lorenzo Ruiz (1600 - 1637)
With an HPI of 45.94, Lorenzo Ruiz is the most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.
Lorenzo Ruiz (Filipino: Lorenzo Ruiz ng Maynila; Chinese: 李樂倫; Spanish: Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila; November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637), also called Saint Lorenzo of Manila, is a Filipino saint venerated in the Catholic Church. A Chinese Filipino, he became his country's protomartyr after his execution in Japan by the Tokugawa Shogunate during its persecution of Japanese Christians in the 17th century. Lorenzo Ruiz is the patron saint of, among others, the Philippines and the Filipino people.
2. Jaime Sin (1928 - 2005)
With an HPI of 44.85, Jaime Sin is the 2nd most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Jaime Lachica Sin (Chinese: 辛海梅, 辛海棉; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and formally known as Jaime Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardinal from the Philippines. He was instrumental in the historic and peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled the dictatorship and ended martial law under Ferdinand Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as his successor in the Fifth Republic of the Philippines. He was also a key figure in the 2001 EDSA Revolution that replaced President Joseph Estrada with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
3. Orlando Quevedo (1939 - )
With an HPI of 44.69, Orlando Quevedo is the 3rd most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Orlando Beltran Quevedo (born 11 March 1939) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 2014, he was Archbishop of Cotabato from 1998 to 2018. He became a bishop in 1980.
4. Luis Antonio Tagle (1957 - )
With an HPI of 43.34, Luis Antonio Tagle is the 4th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle ( TAH-glay; Tagalog: [lʊˈwis ɐnˈtonɪo 'taɡlɛ]; born June 21, 1957) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church currently serving as the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization (formerly the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) since June 5, 2022, and as the President of Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious since December 8, 2019. He was the 32nd Archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2020. Tagle is the Cardinal-Bishop of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle (pro hac vice) and also serves as the President of the Catholic Biblical Federation, Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, and as a member of various departments and dicasteries in the Roman Curia. Tagle, who generally prefers to be called by his nickname "Chito" rather than by his clerical title, has been involved in many social issues in the Philippines, with emphasis on helping the poor while defending the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion, contraception, and what he has called "practical atheism". Dubbed as the "Asian Francis", he is often seen as a representative of the Catholic Church's progressive wing. Tagle has criticized the Catholic Church for using "harsh words" to describe LGBT people as well as divorced and remarried Catholics, whom he believes should be allowed to receive Holy Communion on a case-by-case basis.
5. Jose Tomas Sanchez (1920 - 2012)
With an HPI of 43.10, Jose Tomas Sanchez is the 5th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
José Tomás Sánchez (March 17, 1920 – March 9, 2012) was a Filipino cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who held several posts in the Roman Curia, the highest of which was Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1991 to 1996. Prior to his appointment to the Roman Curia, he held several diocesan bishop positions in the Philippines, the last of which was Archbishop of Nueva Segovia from 1982 to 1986. He was ordained a priest on May 12, 1946. He was consecrated bishop on May 12, 1968, following his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Nueva Cáceres, and was elevated to cardinal on June 28, 1991, by Pope John Paul II.
6. Gaudencio Rosales (1932 - )
With an HPI of 41.05, Gaudencio Rosales is the 6th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Gaudencio Borbón Rosales (born August 10, 1932) is a Filipino Roman Catholic Cardinal who was Archbishop of Manila, succeeding Jaime Sin in 2003, and succeeded by Luis Antonio Tagle in 2011. Being the Metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Manila, he was the 31st archbishop of Manila and the fourth native Filipino to hold the post, following centuries of Spanish, American, and Irish prelates. During his last year as archbishop, he was concurrently named apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Pasig from December 21, 2010 to June 23, 2011, a post he accepted after the resignation of Pasig's first bishop, Francisco San Diego.
7. Wenceslao Padilla (1949 - 2018)
With an HPI of 40.53, Wenceslao Padilla is the 7th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Wenceslao Selga Padilla (29 September 1949 – 25 September 2018) was a Filipino Scheut priest who from 2 August 2003 was the Apostolic prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Mongolia.
8. Gregorio Aglipay (1860 - 1940)
With an HPI of 39.90, Gregorio Aglipay is the 8th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayán (Latin: Gregorius Aglipay; Filipino: Gregorio Labayan Aglipay Cruz; May 5, 1860 – September 1, 1940) was a Filipino former Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary who became the first head of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), the first-ever wholly Filipino-led independent Christian Church in the Philippines in the form of a nationalist church. Known for inciting patriotic rebellion among the Filipino clergy during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine–American War, he was also a political activist who became acquainted with writer and labor leader Isabelo de los Reyes who would then start an independent Christian Filipino Church colloquially named after Aglipay in 1902 as a revolt against the Roman Catholic Church, which was the state religion of the Philippines at the time, due to the mistreatment of the Spanish friars towards the Filipinos. Contrary to popular belief, Aglipay did not join the IFI until one month from its proclamation by de los Reyes and the Unión Obrera Democrática. Aglipay was previously excommunicated by Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa of Manila in May 1899, upon the expressed permission of Pope Leo XIII, due to his involvement in revolutionary activities, despite his prior intercession and defense of some of the Spanish Roman Catholic clergy from liberal-nationalist Filipino revolutionaries. The Roman Catholic Church made attempts to bring Aglipay back to their fold, but failed. Aglipay joined Freemasonry in May 1918, a society excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. Aglipay married Pilar Jamias y Ver from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in 1939 and then died one year later. Followers of Aglipay through the Church are sometimes colloquially referred to by their membership as Aglipayans.
9. Ricardo Vidal (1931 - 2017)
With an HPI of 39.45, Ricardo Vidal is the 9th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Ricardo Tito Jamin Vidal (Latin: Ricardus Titus Vidal; Spanish: Ricardo Tito Vidal y Jamín; (February 6, 1931 – October 18, 2017) was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. Made a cardinal in 1985, he was Archbishop of Cebu from 1982 to 2010.
10. Julio Rosales (1906 - 1983)
With an HPI of 39.32, Julio Rosales is the 10th most famous Filipino Religious Figure. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Julio Rosales y Ras (Filipino: Julio Ras Rosales, September 18, 1906 – June 2, 1983), the second Archbishop of Cebu, was a Filipino cardinal of the Catholic Church. A native of Calbayog, he made his studies at the Seminary of Calbayog and was ordained in his hometown on June 2, 1929. From 1929 to 1946, he did pastoral work in the diocese of Calbayog. He was consecrated bishop of Tagbilaran on September 21, 1946.
Pantheon has 12 people classified as religious figures born between 1600 and 1957. Of these 12, 4 (33.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living religious figures include Orlando Quevedo, Luis Antonio Tagle, and Gaudencio Rosales. The most famous deceased religious figures include Lorenzo Ruiz, Jaime Sin, and Jose Tomas Sanchez. As of April 2022, 2 new religious figures have been added to Pantheon including Wenceslao Padilla and Jose Advincula.
Living Religious Figures
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Orlando Quevedo
1939 - Present
HPI: 44.69
Luis Antonio Tagle
1957 - Present
HPI: 43.34
Gaudencio Rosales
1932 - Present
HPI: 41.05
Jose Advincula
1952 - Present
HPI: 38.65
Deceased Religious Figures
Go to all RankingsLorenzo Ruiz
1600 - 1637
HPI: 45.94
Jaime Sin
1928 - 2005
HPI: 44.85
Jose Tomas Sanchez
1920 - 2012
HPI: 43.10
Wenceslao Padilla
1949 - 2018
HPI: 40.53
Gregorio Aglipay
1860 - 1940
HPI: 39.90
Ricardo Vidal
1931 - 2017
HPI: 39.45
Julio Rosales
1906 - 1983
HPI: 39.32
Rufino Santos
1908 - 1973
HPI: 37.78
Newly Added Religious Figures (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Religious Figures were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 7 most globally memorable Religious Figures since 1700.
