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Petition letter dated 26 February 1820, addressed to Count Pedro de Mello, Plenipotentiary Minister and Envoy of the Portuguese Crown at the Holy See, from Don Filippo Colonna, Rector of the Pious House of the Catechumens in Rome. The document concerns two individuals undergoing religious instruction: Bakxù, a 14-year-old Muslim youth of Macao, China—located within the Portuguese-administered territory under the Province of Guangdong, District of Quanzhou—who seeks baptism and relief from destitution while residing at the institution; and an unnamed 19-year-old Jewish catechumen described as nearly destitute. Colonna requests alms on behalf of both, specifically appealing for clothing previously donated to another convert, referred to as Moro, a Turkish catechumen. The petition underscores the material hardship endured by these converts, particularly Bakxù, who is described as poorly clothed and in fragile health, dependent on minimal sustenance provided by his guardian. The text reflects institutional practices of conversion and charitable support within the Roman Catholic Church during the early 19th century, highlighting transnational religious migration and the role of diplomatic patronage in ecclesiastical welfare. This primary source offers insight into colonial subjecthood, religious conversion, and the socio-economic conditions of foreign converts in papal Rome, as mediated through ecclesiastical authority and diplomatic channels.

This 1819 diplomatic correspondence, dated 21 October and originating from the Rooms of the Quirinal, constitutes an official communication from the Marshal Secretary of State to His Excellency Commissario Mello Dreynen, Plenipotentiary Minister of His Most Faithful Majesty. The document records the formal presentation to the Pope of royal appointments for the Bishoprics of Cochin and Tranganore, made under the authority of the Portuguese Crown. It confirms the transmission of appointment letters and credentials to Monsignor Würtner, representative of the Holy See, in compliance with papal instructions received by the Secretary of State. The letter serves as an acknowledgment of procedural adherence in ecclesiastical nominations within the context of the Portuguese colonial ecclesiastical administration in India. Reference is also made to Crescêncio, Bishop of Crivella, and the summoning of young women presented by the bishops of Coelhão and Cunhagador, indicating supplementary pastoral or administrative proceedings linked to episcopal oversight. As a primary source, this document reflects the intersection of colonial ecclesiastical governance, royal patronage (Padroado Real), and Vatican diplomacy during the early nineteenth century. It offers scholars insight into the bureaucratic mechanisms governing bishopric appointments in Portuguese-held territories and the role of diplomatic intermediaries in Holy See–Crown relations. The text is preserved in formal diplomatic register, characteristic of state-ecclesiastical correspondence of the period.

This document comprises a series of translated ecclesiastical letters and administrative texts, primarily dating from the late 18th century, with supplementary material likely transcribed from earlier periods. Central to the collection is a 1799 letter from Pope Pius VI addressed to Friar Manuel de Santa Catarina, Archbishop of Goa, concerning jurisdictional disputes over the Island of Bombay. The text details the Holy See’s decision to grant temporary spiritual authority to Apostolic Vicars of the Mughal Empire following the expulsion of Portuguese ecclesiastical personnel by English authorities beginning in 1718. It affirms that the Archbishop of Goa retains full jurisdiction over Bombay in principle, but its exercise was suspended due to political impediments. The Pope justifies the delegation of pastoral care to vicars as a necessity for the spiritual survival of Catholics under non-Catholic rule, citing apostolic duty over institutional rivalry. The document further includes a corrupted or abbreviated transcription—possibly from a damaged colonial-era manuscript—referencing ecclesiastical appointments, synodal authority, fiscal obligations, and jurisdictional claims within a Portuguese colonial context. Names such as Gudricus Vovatus, Danceranus, and Athabasy appear in unclear administrative or hierarchical roles, while terms like “arm of the Conclave” and “fisc” suggest institutional governance. A translator’s note indicates significant linguistic irregularities, potentially arising from scribal abbreviation, hybrid Latin-Iberian legal forms, or textual corruption. This compilation offers critical insight into colonial ecclesiastical politics, papal diplomacy, and the interplay between imperial authority and Church jurisdiction in the Portuguese empire.

This is a papal letter, dated 16 January 1746, issued by Pope Benedict XIV from Saint Mary Major during the sixth year of his pontificate, and addressed to John, King of Portugal and the Algarves. The document, transmitted via the Archbishop of Lodi, expresses the Pope’s formal gratitude to the Portuguese monarch for his support in restoring ecclesiastical order within the archdiocese following a prolonged vacancy marked by administrative disorder and entrenched abuses. The Pope commends the King’s decisive interventions, particularly through the Marquis of Castelnuovo, his Secretary, who executed royal directives with precision and dedication. Highlighting the progress achieved under divine grace, the letter underscores the monarch’s pious governance and active role in upholding the Church’s spiritual mission. The Pope affirms that such benefactions warrant enduring recognition both in secular annals and ecclesiastical records, placing the King among the most distinguished Christian rulers of history. Central to the letter is the theme of cooperation between secular authority and religious office in maintaining clerical discipline and effective pastoral care. The document concludes with the Pope’s assurance of continued prayers for the King and his Royal Family, accompanied by the Apostolic Blessing. This letter constitutes a significant record of Church-state relations in mid-eighteenth-century Catholic Europe, reflecting the diplomatic and spiritual priorities of the Holy See.

This fragmentary ecclesiastical document, tentatively dated 1743, originates from the Congregation of the Roman Church and its Inquisition, recorded at the Episcopal Palace in Schiauam Maior. It concerns the proposed appointment of Friar Francisco de Santa Rosa de Viterbo—also referred to as Francisco of Santa Casa de Virtù—as Episcopal Vicar for the East Indies, under the patronage of the King of Portugal and the Algarves. The text records his nomination following the death of D. Manuel de Jesus Maria, former Bishop of the Diocese of Mylapore, and confirms his designation as bishop without diocese (chirotonitus nullius dioecesis) of the Order of Friars Minor of the Observance. Central to the document is the ecclesiastical administration of regions including the Kingdom of Sina (or Sinan), where the city of Sanskim serves as a major provincial centre with a significant Christian population, and the Church of Saint James, which had become vacant. The narrative outlines structural challenges in missionary governance, including the absence of canonical clergy, reliance on catechists, and shortages of sacred vestments and liturgical furnishings. The document also grants special faculties, including powers to absolve reserved cases, confer plenary indulgences, and administer sacraments under specific conditions. Authority to receive episcopal consecration via a single bishop in the Indies is permitted under indult, contingent upon adherence to papal decrees, particularly those issued by Pope Clement X and reiterated in the constitution *Ex quo singulari*. The text reflects the complex interplay between papal authority, Portuguese colonial patronage (*alfarazia*), and the operational realities of Catholic mission work in 18th-century South and East Asia.