Which movement became popular in Europe and Spain during the last two decades of the 19th century, and fostered anti-friar sentiment in the Philippines?

• A. Regulars
• B. Propaganda Movement
• C. Katipunan
• D. Masonry

Answer: (D)

Freemasonry spread widely in Europe and Spain in the late 19th century, bringing liberal and secular ideas that challenged church privileges. In the Philippines, Masonic lodges and the networks they created among reform-minded Filipinos helped foster anti-friar sentiment by promoting ideas of civil rights, education, and the secular state. This environment supported reformist currents that aimed to reduce the influence of the friars over society and governance. So, the movement described is Masonry. The other groups don’t capture that broad European-Spain diffusion and the specific anti-friar influence as clearly.