{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 114,
  "chapterName": "1862. Memorial to the Pope by Catholics of Madras",
  "pageFrom": 191,
  "pageTo": 193,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 191,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n191\nSince that time numerous petitions have been presented to\nGovernment by the inhabitants of Travancore, complaining for the\nill-usage and indignities to which the Shanar women are exposed,\nall of which have been referred to you for an early report of what\nyou have done in these cases with reference to the orders of this\nGovernment of the 27th January 1859.\nIt is my earnest desire to support the just authority of the Maha\nRaja in his ancient dominions, and I know what is due to yourself\nas an old and deserving officer of this Government; but the case\nnow before me is one in which the claims of public duty are of the\nmost imperative kind, and I must therefore desire that you will\nwithout further delay yield obedience to the repeated orders which\nhave been conveyed to you, and report in detail what you have done\nin consequence of the resolutions of this Government communi-\ncated to you on the 27th January and on the 14th of March last,\nand what the Maha Raja has done in consequence.\nI remain, &c.\n(sd.) C. E. Trevelyan.\nTo\nThe Lieut.-General Cullen,\nResident of Travancore and Cochin.\n114. ΜΕΜORIAL TO THE POPE BY CATHOLICS OF\nMADRAS (1862 A.D.)\nThis memorial, dated 22nd March 1862, was submitted to Pope\nPius IX by Catholics of Madras under the jurisdiction of the Padroado\nBishop of St. Thome, Mylapore. It was an appeal on behalf of the\nrights of the Padroado and a rejection of the claims of the Propaganda.\nCited in Jno. Godinho, The Padroado of Portugal in the Orient (1454-\n1860), pp. 180-193.\nBeatissimo Padre, We, the Catholics of the Diocese of\nSt. Thome of Madras, with the most profound humility, confidence\nand love crave permission to approach the Sacred presence of Your\nHoliness the centre of Catholic unity, with this representation, and\nto express to Your Holiness, our sentiments of filial affection, our\nsincere acknowledgements acknowledgements and cordial thanks on account of the\ngreat and salutary benefits, with which Your Holiness condescended\nto favour us with the articles of the Concordata recently entered into\nbetween Your Holiness and His Most Faithful Majesty El-Rei of\nPortugal, as the Patron of the Churches of India, which now happily\nbelong to the temporal dominion of our exalted Sovereign the Queen\nof Great Britain and Ireland, under whose benign and liberal\nGovernment we have the happiness to live",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 192,
      "ocrText": "192\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nThe Vicars Apostolic, however, did not relax their efforts to\nsecure exclusive dominion and power over the churches of the\nPadroado and their flock, and to seize their funds and properties,\nbut the opposition they encountered everywhere eventually com-\npelled them to appeal to the Sacred Congregation De Propaganda\nFide. They obtained and published here the Breve Multa Praclare\ndated 24th April 1838, in the name of Pope Gregory XVI; declaring\nthat the right of the Padroado of the Crown of Portugal was\nabolished over the churches in India, without the previous consent\nof the Royal Patron, as is required and laid down by various Pontiffs\nin several ancient Bulls; that the various Episcopal Sees were\nsuppressed, without consulting the Royal Patron or their Prelates,\nin violation of solemn assurances from so many Popes and against\nthe ecclesiastical discipline and laws of the Church; and finally\ninvesting Doctors O'Connor and St. Leger with supreme authority\nand dominion over all the Churches and parishes of the Bishopric\nof St. Thome, a possession they, for so long, so ardently desired.\nIn that Breve, two are the chief reasons alleged for this change.\nThe first is the political change affecting these regions. Great\nBritain, being the present dominant power, will not permit the\nexercise of the right of the Padroado. It is necessary to show how\ngroundless this objection is after so many years of British Dominion.\nWe have already shown above that the Government by its.decla-\nration of February 1835, has clearly repudiated any unpleasant\nimpression originating from their first Statement. The second\nreason alleged in the Breve is that ecclesiastical discipline, the\nmorality of the laity and the Catholic Faith had generally deterio-\nrated in these parts for want of pastors. Of what little importance\nthis insinuation made by interested parties is, will be evident, from\nthe following facts. The effective progress and prosperity of\nCatholic Faith, in several places, has been acknowledged by high\nauthorities, such as Sir A. Johnson, a Protestant Judge of\nCeylon, and by other respectable and disinterested persons, such\nas Rev. Brabant and even by Dr. O'Connor and Dr. Carew, soon\nafter their arrival in India. On the contrary the evil\ndeeds of the missionaries of the propaganda first the Capu-\nchin Friars; after them the Vicars Apostolic and their clergy,\nwho undermined the foundations of religion and morality and not\nthe want of pastors.\nThe Vicars Apostolic and their missionaries denounced the\nsacred offices exercised by the Prelates and their clergy. They\nridiculed them. They spoke in contempt of their churches, of their\naltars and of their sacred objects of respect and veneration. They\nanathematised the clergy, criticising their national qualities. They\ncast aspersions on private character. They criticised their talents\nand abilities. All these affronts and insults had only one object",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 193,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n193\nin view, namely of intimidating the timid and of attracting to them-\nselves the ignorant and the fickle. With praises for their boldness\nin forsaking their old pastors they incited them to violent acts to\nsupport their impious cause. With the help and co-operation of\nthese seceders, perverting others by gifts of money, the Vicars\nApostolic and their missionaries, forcibly entered the churches in\nthe dead of night, thus took possession of them.\nThe Vicars Apostolic most stubbornly objected to the Concor-\ndata, for it clearly declared all their representations to be false, and\nalso declared their expulsion from the places usurped by them.\nThe Concordata totally ignores the Breve Multa Praclare. It does\nnot even allude to it in the various articles. On the contrary, the\nConcordata, in its first and second articles, acknowledges the right\nof the Patron over the churches in India, and also over the Bishop-\nrics suppressed or usurped. It does not contain a single clause\nfrom which it can be inferred that the Royal Patron, or the Metro-\npolitan of Goa or the Prelates or clergy who acted according to the\ninstructions, are schismatics and separated from the unity of the\nCatholic Church, or do not possess any authority or Jurisdiction,\nas the Vicars Apostolic have always asserted, without the sanction\nof any other authority than their own. In the absence of any\ndirect resolution, in which the Chief of the Church, on any occasion,\nor at any time, declared them to be schismatics, and separated from\nthe unity of the Church. If they were really so, it should, at least,\nappear in a document which has for its special aim the end of all\ndispute and misunderstanding.\nIt is so long since the Concordata was ratified, that the Vicars\nApostolic have reduced the Church in India to a theatre of religious\ndissensions to the great prejudice of our Holy Religion, and to the\npeace and and tranquility of the Faithful, so much so that many doubt\nof the paternal solicitude of Your Holiness for the Church in India.\nIf all what we have suffered for such a long time, were not sufficient\nreasons we pray that the interests of religion, the propagation of the\nCatholic Faith and the conversion of the pagans and infidels, which\nhave been set back for so long, will move you to put an end to this\nstate of affairs. We most humbly beseech Your Holiness that\nwithout further delay in diplomatic negotiation, to put in practical\nexecution of the Concordata, ta, so that India may enjoy the benefits\nof its excellent and healthy provisions.\nWith the same expectation we, as subjects of Queen Victoria,\nhave forwarded a petition to the Secretary of State for India, that\nthe British Government may give their full support to the execution\nof the Concordata, as the best means to promote and to ensure the\nprosperity of the Catholic population of this country. A copy of\nthat petition, as well as another which before this we had sent to the\nH.C.I.-13",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}