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This confidential diplomatic note, dated 13 July 1907, from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Minister of Colonies, concerns the protracted ecclesiastical negotiations between France and Portugal over missionary jurisdiction in southern China, particularly regarding Hainan Island. Originally under the French Apostolic Vicariate of Kwangtung, Hainan was transferred in 1874 to the Portuguese Bishop of Macao pursuant to a bilateral agreement ratified by the Holy See and later formalized in the 1886 Franco-Portuguese Concordat. In 1898, France sought to reassert influence by proposing an exchange: relinquishing its protection of the Chantong mission at the Holy See’s request in return for control over Hainan’s Christian communities. Negotiations culminated in a 1903 agreement to transfer Hainan to French ecclesiastical authority in exchange for the Tchao-King district, though disputes emerged due to a clerical error in the Vatican’s decree that ambiguously described territorial boundaries. Portugal exploited this discrepancy to claim additional sub-prefectures—San-ning, San-Ui, and Shun-Tack—but these claims were rejected by the Holy See in January 1904, which reaffirmed the original terms. Despite ongoing Portuguese resistance, Rome maintained its position, supporting French oversight. The document outlines France’s diplomatic and ecclesiastical efforts to implement the transfer, including direct episcopal negotiations, leading to a finalized agreement effective 15 October 1906, contingent upon the completion of asset inventories and financial compensation. This correspondence offers significant insight into the interplay of colonial ambition, religious authority, and diplomatic negotiation within the context of European imperial competition and Catholic missionary policy in early 20th-century China.
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This 1894 official correspondence, originating from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (General Directorate of Political and Diplomatic Affairs, 1st Division, Lisbon), concerns ecclesiastical jurisdictional disputes in southern China during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The document comprises copies of communications between the Bishop of Macau, the Secretary of State for Overseas Affairs, and the Portuguese Minister in Paris, relating to the implementation of a territorial exchange agreement between the Diocese of Macau and the Apostolic Prefecture of Canton. Central to the matter is the reciprocal transfer of jurisdictions over Hainan Island and the Shao-king (Shap Kung/Sheung-king) district, initially agreed upon following negotiations culminating in a papal decree of 16 March 1864 and reaffirmed by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith on 3 February 1903. The Bishop of Macau reports persistent obstruction by the Apostolic Prefect of Canton in executing the transfer, despite prior agreements and Vatican approval. Key issues include resistance from French missionaries under the Paris Foreign Missions Society, delays in handing over mission properties, and alleged diplomatic interference. The text reveals tensions between Portuguese Padroado claims and French ecclesiastical influence in China, as well as Portugal’s efforts to assert its ecclesiastical authority through diplomatic channels with both the Holy See and the French government. This document provides critical insight into colonial religious politics, Sino-European ecclesiastical diplomacy, and the decline of Portuguese ecclesiastical privileges in Asia.
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