Quote Meaning

This statement, made by Father Dámaso, exposes his belief that the church should be even more powerful than the state. Though the exact nature of the conflict at hand isn't completely known yet, it's clear that Father Dámaso believes that priests must be completely free to act as they please. Furthermore, he directly links the presence of religion to that of priests and their freedom, excluding the possibility of unorganized religion. The statement stands out even more since Christianity isn't the original religion of the Philippines, but that of their Spanish colonizers. When Father Dámaso says that "the country is lost," he is thus referring to the colonized Philippines, rather than the whole history of the nation.

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