Rhee Millena Timbang is the current Obispo Máximo or Supreme Bishop of the

Philippine Independent Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...

(''Iglesia Filipina Independiente''). He was elevated from Bishop of Surigao to Obispo Máximo on June 25, 2017 and replaced

Ephraim Fajutagana Ephraim Fajutagana y Servañez is a former Obispo Máximo or Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church (''Iglesia Filipina Independiente'' or IFI). He is the 12th Obispo Máximo, the highest post of the Church, that goes back from i ...

after getting elected on May 9, 2017. He was also previously the Chairperson of the Supreme Council of Bishops. In his role as Obispo Máximo, Timbang has been highly critical of then-Philippine president

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

's declaration of martial law in Mindanao and has condemned those who would link him and his church with the ongoing

communist rebellion in the Philippines {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Communist rebellion in the Philippines , partof = the Cold War and the Insurgency in the Philippines , image = Communist hotspots in the Philippines.png , caption ...

. In 2021, during the Philippine Independent Church's 119th Proclamation Anniversary and as part of celebrating 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, Timbang led the signatories of the representatives of the Philippine Independent Church (IFI) in the signing of two joint statements with the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(RCC), represented by the officials of the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines; ceb, Hugpong sa mga Obispo nga Katoliko sa Pilipinas; bcl, Komperensya kan mga Obispo Katoliko kan Pilipinas; hil, Komperensya sang mga Obispo Katoliko sang Pilipinas; ilo, Kumperensya ti ...

, expressing both Church's readiness for a more

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

cooperation amidst diversity. The first statement was titled "''Celebrating the Gift of Faith, Learning from the Past, and Journeying Together''" and the second one as "''Mutual Recognition of Baptisms between the IFI and the RCC in the Philippines''." In one of the statements, both IFI and Catholic leaders "ask and pray for mutual forgiveness for any injuries inflicted in the past" and "strive for the healing and purification of memories among its members".

References

External links

The Obispo Maximo – Official website of the ''Iglesia Filipina Independiente''
Filipino bishops Living people Members of the Philippine Independent Church Bishops of Independent Catholic denominations People from Surigao City Year of birth missing (living people) {{Philippines-reli-bio-stub