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Telegram from Franco Nogueira, Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the Portuguese Ambassador to the Holy See informing him that the Archive of the Diocese of Macau is located in the Oficinas de São José in Lisbon (Salesian School) and that the Bishop of Macau only retains in Macau the documentation necessary for regular business.
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This 1968 report, compiled by the Council of Catholic Schools of Macao, documents a period of intense political and religious conflict in Macau between 1966 and 1968, triggered by the spillover of China’s Cultural Revolution. The document details how local communist organisations, inspired by Red Guard activities on the mainland, launched a campaign against the Catholic Church, beginning with political disturbances in late 1966 and escalating into direct attacks on religious institutions. Central to the conflict was St Joseph’s College, which became a focal point following fabricated allegations and student-led demonstrations demanding the punishment of teacher Lam Sai-chong and broader concessions from Catholic authorities. The Portuguese colonial government, under Governor Nobre de Carvalho, faced pressure to appease communist demands, culminating in the January 1967 agreement that effectively ceded political influence to pro-communist groups. The Bishop of Macau, Dom Paulo José Tavares, resisted these pressures, issuing a public ‘Clarification’ in September 1967 defending the Church’s rights, which led to the suspension of the Catholic newspaper O Clarim. The report outlines systematic harassment of the Church, including propaganda campaigns, physical assaults, vandalism of religious properties, and intimidation of clergy. It also records the Church’s efforts to negotiate while upholding its principles, the complicity or inaction of civil authorities, and the resilience of Catholic institutions amid widespread anti-religious agitation. The text serves as a primary account of ideological confrontation, ecclesiastical resistance, and colonial vulnerability in late 1960s Macau.
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This is a classified Portuguese colonial administrative document dated 14 July 1967, originating from the Directorate-General of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon, transmitted to the Ministry of Overseas Affairs and subsequently forwarded to the Governor of Macau. The document contains a verbatim transcription of notes from a conversation held in Rome on 27 July 1967 between the Ecclesiastical Consultant of the Portuguese Embassy to the Holy See, Monsenhor P.J. Carreira, and Dom Paulo Tavares, Bishop of Macau, shortly before his departure for Macau. The discussion centred on the current challenges facing the Diocese of Macau, particularly the future of the local seminary amid plans to transfer approximately twenty students from Timor to mainland Portugal for training. The Bishop expressed concerns over institutional stability and past difficulties attributed to individuals deemed psychologically and diplomatically unprepared for the region’s complex environment. The Portuguese government reaffirmed its commitment to financially support the seminary and broader ecclesiastical social, cultural, and welfare initiatives as key expressions of Portuguese presence in Macau. The Bishop indicated willingness to remain in his post without reservation, reassured by assurances of personal safety and institutional backing from both the Portuguese state and the Holy See. This document provides critical insight into the interplay between colonial administration, Catholic ecclesiastical structures, and geopolitical concerns within Portugal’s overseas territories during the late 1960s.
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Folder with four documents
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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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Folder with eight documents
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Folder with four letters, July-August 1965.
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Folder with 11 documents
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Folder with seven documents about protestant missions in Macau.