[Most of chapter iii is devoted to the coming to Manila of a
French bishop, François de Palu, titular bishop of Heliopolis and
vicar-apostolic for China, accompanied by several other Frenchmen,
both priests and laymen; he is one of three envoys sent to promote
the missions in Siam, Camboja, and other provinces, and in China, and
to endeavor to reopen those of Japan. They make their headquarters at
Ayudia, the Siamese capital, but their efforts to convert the Siamese
fail, on account of the obstinacy with which they hold to their false
religion and idol-worship--in which they surpass all other nations,
whether heathen or Mahometan, "for it is not known that any Siamese
has abandoned his idolatry and professed the law of Christ." Moreover,
the Frenchmen get into a controversy with the Portuguese ecclesiastics
of Malacca, who claim all the above-named regions as being under their
spiritual jurisdiction, since they are still classed as missions, not
having a formal ecclesiastical hierarchy, as do the churches of Manila,
America, and Goa. Palu's coming to Manila stirs up much commotion in
official circles. It is reported that he had set out for China, and
was driven back by unfavorable weather to this port; and the Audiencia
consider that it will not answer to allow him to go to that country,
as, having been sent by authority of Alexander VII and the Propaganda,
his entrance into China on such a mission would be an infringement of
the royal patronage, since a large part of China is included in the
demarcation of Castilla laid out by Alexander VI; and ecclesiastical
appointments and jurisdiction therein belong to the jealously-guarded
prerogatives of the Spanish crown. The royal officials at Manila
therefore detain Palu, lodging him at the Jesuit college, where he
is very hospitably entertained. When the Acapulco galleon is ready to
sail, these French ecclesiastics are all placed aboard it and sent to
Nueva España, and thence to Madrid. There Palu is well received, and
has "much communication with the Conde de Medellín, the president of
the supreme Council of Indias, an able minister and a man of great
virtue."] The bishop filled him with strange notions, basing his
information on the little which he could have comprehended of the
mode of government of these islands, and their religious conditions;
for his retirement in the college of the Society of Jesus was for a
short time, and his knowledge came not from ocular experience, but
only from information by secular persons who visited him--who must
have been only corrupt alcaldes-mayor who were trying to get rid of
the gospel ministers, with whom those officials could not be on very
good terms since the ministers had restrained them in their illegal
and oppressive acts; this [conflict with the officials] is the greatest
hardship that is experienced in the ministries. The president, desiring
to do what was right, listened attentively to the information furnished
by so reverend a person, not considering that the prejudice of a person
from a nation so opposed to us, and who had not found at Manila what
he was expecting, rendered his account unreliable. From these reports
ensued many royal decrees, which came [to Manila] years afterward,
with mandates which were very difficult to carry out; because, as
all the peoples [here] are different, they need different laws and
rules. From this also originated the ordination of Indians as priests,
of which there had been no previous example [here]--a wise precaution
against the inconveniences which the Portuguese had experienced in
Eastern India from ordaining canerines [54] under the pressure of
necessity. This is a usage which even the Dutch heretics abominate,
saying that it is one of the three causes through which India has been
ruined. And as in Filipinas that necessity does not exist, because
of the admirable arrangements which the Catholic monarchs of España
have made for sending, at the cost of their royal exchequer, religious
from their kingdoms as missionaries, there was no need of resorting
to the extreme measure of ordaining the Indians as priests--as the
Portuguese of India had done, and as now do the bishops sent out on
the part of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide in their missions of
Eastern India; and the latter do so because of their urgent necessity,
since the said holy Congregation has not the funds for the support of
European priests. On the contrary, the few whom they have in China,
Tunquín, and other regions are supported by the alms which the citizens
of Manila send them--except the bishops and priests of Siam, who have
more means of support from fixed incomes in France.
This is a subject on which there is much to be said on both sides;
but this is not the place for it, nor do I feel under obligation to
continue it. I suppose that many Indians will be more worthy than
are many Europeans to attain so high a dignity; but since the former
usually do not enter the priesthood through the gate of a vocation,
and only strive to attain it for the sake of advantage to themselves
and their relatives, the danger is evident that the result will seldom
be satisfactory. They cite the example of the primitive Church, which
made bishops and ordained priests among the recently converted--like
St. Paul in Ephesus and Athens, and in other parts of Greece, and
the holy apostles for all the world; but there is a great difference
[between that case and this], in the needs of those times and the
nobility of those nations. These and many other changes resulted
from the information given in Madrid by the bishop Don Francisco
Palu, who went to Roma, where also his information caused changes. I
suppose that the intentions of this holy prelate were good; but he was
lacking in experience. His representations also affected the governor
Manuel de León and the auditors; for, although the royal Council of
the Indias approved the caution with which they had acted in this
so delicate matter, at Roma the result was very different. For his
Holiness Clement X excommunicated them, and declared that they had
incurred the censures of the bull In Cæna Domini, by a brief which,
printed and authorized in Roma and Paris in the year 1675, was sent to
Manila from China and Siam. [Here follows a sketch of Palu's further
career, his death, and some matters relating to the Chinese missions.]
This year the galleon "San Telmo," which was going to Nueva España,
in command of General Antonio Nieto, was driven back to port, which
caused great losses in the property of the citizens of Manila.
Not less were the troubles which the archbishop of Manila, Don Fray
Juan López, encountered from the time when he began to govern his
church. He was a prelate of great virtue and learning, and of a pacific
nature, disinclined to quarrels and discords; but as he was very firm
in the defense of his jurisdiction and dignity, he greatly regretted
that occasion should arise for disturbing the peace which he so
loved. During his time, there were many occasions for recourse to the
royal Audiencia, and controversies over jurisdiction; but that which
most exercised the patience of this great prelate was the audacious
conduct of Master Don Jerónimo de Herrera y Figueroa, who filled
the post of chief chaplain of the royal chapel of the Incarnation;
this was founded by Governor Don Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera,
for the cemetery of Manila, for the burial of his soldiers, as we
stated in its place. The said chief chaplain attempted to arrogate
to himself the privileges and exemptions which the army chaplains
enjoy when they are actually in the field; and thus he sought to be
exempted from obedience to the archbishop and from his jurisdiction,
although he was only the chaplain of a chapel in a presidio. He had
on his side the favor of the governor, Don Manuel de León--which in
Filipinas is to have the lawsuit already gained and all one's efforts
successful. Made confident and daring by this, he opposed his prelate,
not only refusing to obey him, but even being so insolent as to post
the archbishop as excommunicate, to the scandal of all the heathen
peoples who resort to Manila; and these abominable disputes lasted a
long time. A long manifesto was written and printed in favor of Don
Jerónimo de Herrera by Licentiate Don Juan de Rosales, an advocate
in the royal Audiencia, proceeding on the false assumption of the
privileges and exemptions of the chaplains who go with the armies
in their campaigns; and reply to him was made, with very superior
arguments, by the cura of the Spaniards in Manila, Bachelor Don José
de Carrión. But, although the archbishop had justice on his side,
the opposite side had a hold on the governor, and thus they did not
care much for the lack of equity. This controversy was so bitter that
the judges would not decide it, on account of the strained relations
between them; and so it was necessary to refer the case to España,
to the royal and supreme Council of Indias. They, as unprejudiced
judges, rendered sentence in favor of the archbishop; but when this
decision arrived he was already dead. Then the chaplains of the said
royal chapel learned that they were not exempt from the jurisdiction
of the ordinary, as the army chaplains are exempt for other and
reasonable causes.
These and other troubles, together with those of old age, hastened
the death of the archbishop, Don Fray Juan López; this was as holy as
his life, and occurred in April of the year 1674. He was buried in the
convent of Santo Domingo, among his brethren. He was a native of Martín
Muñoz de las Posadas, and came to this province of Santo Rosario in
the year 1647. He taught theology in the convent of Santo Tomás in
Manila, and went to España and Roma as procurator of the province,
returning as consecrated bishop of Cebú in the year 1666. In 1672 he
began to govern the archbishopric of Manila, with great reputation
as a vigilant pastor, although that church enjoyed only two years
of his prudent government. The regret for his loss was increased by
the fact that a general vacancy in the office of consecrated bishop
ensued in all the islands; this lasted until the year 1680, when
the bishop of Cebú, Don Fray Diego de Aguilar arrived here--great
affliction being caused in all that long period, by the lack of any
one to confer holy orders on men who might assist the ministers who
gave instruction. Many, both clerics and regulars, were obliged to
journey to the kingdom of Siam, where they were ordained by Don Luis
de Lanoy Faces, bishop of Metelopolis and vicar-apostolic of that
kingdom; and others went to Nueva España to be ordained, for even the
city of Macán was without a bishop. Don Fray Payo de Ribera, [55] the
archbishop and viceroy of Mexico, was careful to send them the holy
oils every year; he belonged to the order of our father St. Augustine,
and was a prelate worthy of eternal remembrance on account of his great
virtues--on which he placed the seal by renouncing the bishopric of
Cuenca and retiring to the convent of our Lady of El Risco. He died
there, with a great reputation for sanctity, being an example for
prelates and for very austere religious.