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This 1926 diplomatic memorandum, issued by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ General Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs, addresses ecclesiastical jurisdictional disputes between the Portuguese Crown and the Holy See concerning dioceses under the Padroado system in British India and Asia. Dated 5 May 1926 and addressed to the Portuguese Minister Plenipotentiary to the Holy See, the document analyses a proposed agreement on the reorganisation of Portuguese ecclesiastical jurisdictions, specifically Goa, Daman, Cochin, Mylapore, and potentially Macau. It outlines Portugal’s position on four key issues: approval of boundary modifications only with governmental consent; extension of the state’s response period to three months in episcopal appointments; clarification that the semi-Padroado arrangements over Indian dioceses such as Bombay, Trichinopoly, Quilon, and Mangalore should remain subject to Portuguese input; and strong objections to the proposed transfer of spiritual jurisdiction over enclaved Padroado Christian communities to local bishops under Propaganda Fide. The author, Vasco Inge (or Vase Boye), argues that such transfers—particularly affecting Daman and Mylapore, which would lose up to half or one-third of their Christian populations—would cause severe institutional harm. Instead, he proposes a system of territorial compensation based on reciprocal exchanges of equivalent Christian populations, citing precedent from the 1923 establishment of Tuticorin. The document underscores Portugal’s determination to preserve its historic patronage rights while advocating for negotiated, equitable solutions to complex transcolonial ecclesiastical governance challenges.
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This 1924 ecclesiastical letter, authored by the Bishop of Macau and addressed to the Portuguese Minister to the Vatican, constitutes a formal response to the Decree of 30 October 1923 issued by the Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, which extended the authority of the Apostolic Delegate in China to the Diocese of Macau. The document outlines the historical jurisdictional isolation of the Diocese of Macau under the Portuguese Padroado system, detailing its dependence on the Metropolitan See of Goa and the Apostolic Nunciature in Lisbon for communications with the Holy See. The bishop argues that this arrangement resulted in practical disadvantages, including exclusion from episcopal conferences, denial of voting rights, and inability to access mission subsidies from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, despite hierarchical parity with Apostolic Vicars in China. He recounts personal experiences from his tenure as Vicar Capitular in 1918 and his non-participation in preparatory meetings for the First Chinese National Council due to jurisdictional ambiguities. The letter asserts that the 1923 Decree, while ending a long-standing privilege, effectively integrates the Diocese of Macau into the broader Chinese ecclesiastical structure, granting equal faculties, inclusion in decision-making processes, and improved access to resources. The author concludes that the measure resolves longstanding administrative and pastoral impediments, affirming its benefits for the mission in China. This primary source is critical for understanding ecclesiastical politics, colonial religious patronage, and Sino-Vatican relations in early 20th-century East Asia.
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- Between 1900 and 1999 (14)