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  • This is a scholarly transcription of a 1712 historical document: *A Sincere and True Account of the Lawful Defence of the Royal Prerogatives and Privileges of the Crown of Portugal in the City of Macau*, composed by Dr Dom Félix Leal de Castro in Macau on 4 February 1712 and printed in Xiangshan. The text constitutes a formal rebuttal to an anonymous 1712 Augustinian account concerning ecclesiastical jurisdictional conflicts arising from the presence in Macau of Cardinal Charles-Thomas Maillard de Tournon, Patriarch of Antioch and Apostolic Legate to China. It details the protracted dispute (1705–1712) between Portuguese civil and ecclesiastical authorities—including the Bishop and Captain-General of Macau, the Viceroy of Portuguese India, and the Primate Archbishop—over the Patriarch’s claim to exercise jurisdiction in Macau without presenting papal bulls formally ratified by the Royal Council of Portugal (*Conselho Ultramarino*) or obtaining prior royal consent. Central figures include the Patriarch; Captain-General Diogo de Lino Teixeira and his successor Francisco de Mello e Castro; Bishop of Macau; Vicar General of the diocese; Prior Fray Constantino del Espíritu Santo of the Augustinian Convent; and Provincial Father Francisco Pinto of the Society of Jesus. The document records key events: the Patriarch’s 1705 arrival and restricted activities in Macau; the 1707 council of the Three Estates affirming royal prerogatives (*regalias da Coroa*); the imposition and subsequent modification of the Patriarch’s custody; the 1708–1710 expulsions and arrests of religious loyal to the Patriarch—including Augustinians and Dominicans—and the renewal of prohibitions against their convents; the 1709 royal decrees (*cédulas*) confirming the Crown’s position; the Patriarch’s death in June 1710; and the 1712 handover of the Augustinian Convent to secular clergy. All assertions are grounded in archival instruments, official correspondence, canonical procedure, and juridical reasoning rooted in the Portuguese *regalia* and papal privileges granted to the Crown.

Last update from database: 3/24/26, 4:01 PM (UTC)