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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.
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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.