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This 1926 diplomatic correspondence, consisting of two nearly identical dispatches dated 4 and 6 September and originating in Rome, reports on the impending consecration of two indigenous Chinese bishops by the Pope. Classified under Series A, No. 71, and addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the documents highlight the significance of the papal decision to personally conduct the consecration, underscoring its alignment with the Pope’s established policy of promoting and strengthening indigenous ecclesiastical leadership in Eastern territories. The repeated emphasis on the indigenous status of the bishops reflects a strategic shift within the Catholic Church towards localising clerical authority in mission regions during the early 20th century. Sent by an official identified only as J., the communications serve as formal notifications of a notable development in Sino-Vatican ecclesiastical relations and illustrate the intersection of religious authority and diplomatic protocol within the context of colonial-era missionary expansion. These documents provide primary evidence of institutional efforts to indigenise Christian leadership in China and offer insight into the Vatican’s engagement with non-European clergy during the interwar period. They are valuable for researchers examining religious diplomacy, colonialism, and the globalisation of Catholicism in the modern era.
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This fragmentary ecclesiastical and administrative document, originating from a Portuguese colonial context likely in Asia or Africa during the 17th century, comprises a series of missionary reports, spiritual accounts, and institutional records spanning multiple locations including Xiamen (Cinhina), Su-idê, Macau, Goa, and regions associated with the Chinese interior and coastal provinces. The text details the activities of Jesuit and other Catholic missionaries, notably Fathers Francisco Brancato, Julio Aldeni, João Adam, and Miguel Irigaut, under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocesan and Metropolitan See of China. Central themes include the administration of sacraments—particularly Holy Baptism and Confession—among local Christian communities and catechumens, efforts to combat idolatry and demonic influence, and the establishment of churches and confraternities in villages such as Ké chò, Ké ngâm, and Capba. Accounts of spiritual struggles, exorcisms, visions, and martyrdom reflect the integration of European Catholic theology with local cosmologies, while references to Mandarins, Gentiles, and political authorities illustrate the complex interplay between religious mission and imperial governance. The document also records internal Church disputes, logistical challenges due to persecution and natural calamities—including locust plagues and droughts—and the veneration of saints and relics. As a composite manuscript containing marginal annotations, seals, and archival references, it provides critical insight into the operation of Lusophone missionary networks, indigenous conversions, and the socio-religious dynamics of early modern colonial Christianity.
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Between 1700 and 1799
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- 1926 (1)
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Between 1920 and 1929
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