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This archival document comprises a 1967 Portuguese colonial administrative file (Process No. 1–7–1, File D-7-1) originating from the Ministry of the Overseas Territories and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, concerning ecclesiastical governance in the Province of Macau under Portuguese administration. It includes a confidential memorandum dated 3 June 1967 from the Governor of Macau to the Ministry, reporting internal divisions among the diocesan clergy, criticism of Bishop Paulo Tavares’s authoritarian pastoral administration, and concerns regarding the influence of his brother, who served as his Secretary. The file documents diplomatic exchanges between Lisbon and the Holy See—particularly with Archbishop Agostino Casaroli (erroneously referred to in the original as ‘Monsignor Samoré’)—regarding the Holy See’s preliminary consideration of appointing a Chinese-origin Auxiliary Bishop for Macau as a contingency measure in anticipation of potential sovereignty changes. It records the appointment of Chinese and Eurasian clergy to key posts—including Canon António André Ngan (Vicar General and Chantre), Reverend João Paulo de Sousa (Rector), and Reverend Cláudio Maria Leão Ló (Vice-Rector)—and notes the candidacy of Reverend Dr. Massa. The document further details Vatican assessments of Bishop Tavares’s suitability for reassignment to Rome or a Central American nunciature, and reflects sustained Portuguese diplomatic efforts to forestall the appointment of a Chinese auxiliary bishop. Dated between March and June 1967, the file is held in the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU), Conselho Ultramarino—Índia, Caixa 14.
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This abstract describes an encrypted official telegram, designated ISR No. 19, dispatched by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Cipher Services on 3 January 1968 to the Portuguese Embassy to the Holy See. The document is marked urgent and confidential, with transmission completed via telex at 20:35 after ciphering concluded at 20:00. Its principal subject concerns the relocation of the Diocese of Macau’s archival collection, confirmed as having been transferred in its entirety to Lisbon and deposited at the Oficinas de São José (St Joseph’s Workshops); only recent administrative files remain in Macau under the custody of Bishop D. Paulo for operational purposes. The telegram functions as a final addendum to Telegram No. 1 and bears marginal annotations indicating internal distribution, including a copy intended for an unspecified division and a right-aligned notation “PAA”, alongside an upper-left archival identifier “960472”. Authored by Farinha Fernandes of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the document carries no visible official seal or stamp and is signed solely by the author. It was printed in a run of 20,000 copies by S. & M., Lda. This source provides direct evidence of mid-twentieth-century Portuguese administrative practices concerning ecclesiastical archives in Macau, reflecting institutional coordination between diplomatic, foreign affairs, and religious authorities during the final decades of Portuguese administration.