The Archbishop Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos and the Defence of the Portuguese Patronage of the East (1874-1880)

Abstract

Considering the relevance of inquiring the participation of Madeiran elites in the process of political and ecclesiastical governance of the Portuguese Colonial Empire, this article analyses the agency of Mgr. Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, as Archbishop of Goa and Primate of the East, between 1874 and 1880, namely his role in the defence and preservation of the Portuguese Patronage of the East, at a particularly critical moment in its history, when its continuity was openly questioned by the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide. In this regard, Mgr. Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos visited the suffragan dioceses of Goa and a large part of the missions of the Portuguese Patronage, endeavouring to reaffirm – through his intense pastoral and diplomatic action – the preeminence of the Primatial See of Goa and the right of patronage in the vast areas under English administration in India, namely Bombay, Madrasta, Malabar, the Gulf of Bengal, Dacca, present-day Bangladesh, as well as the island of Ceylon. Among his main victories on the ecclesiastical front was the signing of a modus vivendi with the various Apostolic Vicariates of Propaganda Fide, which guaranteed peace within Indian Catholicism by overcoming the disagreements arising from dual ecclesiastical jurisdiction, as well as the acknowledgement of the pre-eminence of the Metropolitan See of Goa. He also obtained recognition of the right of patronage in the English territories of India from the Viceroy of British India, Lord Lytton. Finally, it held the Exhibition of the Body of St Francis Xavier, the Apostle of the East, attracting many thousands of pilgrims to Goa and confirming its status as the capital of Eastern Catholicism – the Rome of the East. His action was therefore fundamental in overcoming the long crisis of the Portuguese Patronage of the East, especially in resolving the disputes between the clergy of Goa and the missionaries and apostolic vicars of Propaganda Fide, thus paving the way for the fulfilment of a new agreement between Portugal and the Holy See in the 1880s.

Keywords

Portuguese Colonial Empire; India; Goa; Catholic Church; Vatican Council I; Portuguese Patronage of the East; Propaganda Fide; Archbishop Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos.