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CHAP. Metropolitan of Goa, Primate of the Indies, and the Oriental Parts, &c. To the Reverend in Christ, Father George, Archdeacon of the Christians of St. Thomas in the Serra of the kingdom of Malabar, and to all other priests, curates, deacons, and subdeacons, and to all towns, villages, and hamlets, and to all Christian people of the said Bishopric, health in our Lord Jesus Christ.

"We give you all, and every one of you in particular to understand, that the most Holy Father, Pope Clement VIII., our Lord Bishop of Rome, and Vicar of our Lord Jesus Christ upon earth, at this time presiding in the Church of God; having sent two briefs directed to us, one of the 27th of January, in the year 1595, and the other of the 21st of the same month, in the year 1597; in which, by virtue of his pastoral office, and that universal power bequeathed to the supreme, holy, and Apostolical chair of St. Peter over all the churches in the world, by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Redeemer, he commanded us, upon the death of the Archbishop Mar Abraham, to take possession of this Church and Bishopric, so as not to suffer any Bishop or prelate, coming from Babylon, to enter therein, as has been hitherto the custom, all that come from thence being schismatics, heretics, and Nestorians, out of the obedience of the Holy Roman Church, and subject to the Patriarch of Babylon, the head of the said heresy; and to appoint a governor or Apostolical vicar to rule the said diocese both in spirituals and temporals, until such time as the Holy Roman Church shall provide it of a proper pastor; which being read by us, we were desirous to execute the Apostolical mandates with due reverence and obedience; besides, that the same was incumbent on us of

right (the said church having no chapter to take care of it during the vacancy of the see,) as metropolitan and primate of this and all the other churches of the Indies, and the Oriental parts.

"But perceiving that our mandate in that behalf had no effect, what we had ordered not having been obeyed in the said diocese, so that what our most holy father, the Bishop of Rome, had designed, was like to be frustrated; after having laboured therein for the space of two years, schism and disobedience to the Apostolical see having been so rooted in that diocese for a great many years, that the inhabitants thereof, instead of yielding obedience to the Apostolical, and our mandates; on the contrary, upon the intimation thereof, did daily harden themselves more and more, committing greater offences against the obedience due to the Holy Roman Church; after having commended the matter to God, and ordered the same to be done through our whole diocese, and after mature advice, by what methods the Apostolical mandates might be best executed; and being also moved by the piety of the people, and the mercy God had shown them in having preserved so many thousand souls in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the time that the holy Apostle St. Thomas had preached to them until this day, notwithstanding their having lived among so many heathens, and been scattered in divers places, their churches and all belonging to them, having been always subject to idolatrous kings and princes, and incompassed with idols and pagods, and that without holding any correspondence with any other Christians before the coming of the Portuguese into these parts; we being likewise desirous that the labours of the holy Apostle St. Thomas, which still remained

A. D. 1599.

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among them, should not be lost for want of sound doctrine; and that the Apostolical mandates might not be frustrated, did determine, and having provided for the government of our own Church, during our absence, did prepare to go in person to take possession of the said Bishopric, to see if by our presence we might be able to reduce them to the obedience of the Holy Roman Church, and purge out the heresies and false doctrines sown among them, and introduced by the schismatical prelates, and Nestorian heretics that had governed them under the obedience of the Patriarch of Babylon; as also to call in and purge the books containing those heresies; and according to our pastoral duty, so far as God should enable us, to preach to them in person the Catholic truth.

Accordingly, going into the said Bishopric, we set about visiting the churches thereof; but at that time Satan, the great enemy of the good of souls, having stirred up great commotions, and much opposition against this our just intent, great numbers departing from us, and forming a schism against the Holy Roman Church; after having passed through many troubles and dangers, out of all which, God of his great mercy, not remembering our sins and evil deeds, was pleased to deliver us, and to grant us an entire peace, for the merits of the glorious Apostle St. Thomas, the patron of this Christianity, but chiefly of his own great clemency and mercy, which make, that he doth not delight in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should return and live; and by coming all to the light of the truth, may join with us in the confession of the Catholic faith, approving our doctrine and intention, and submitting themselves to the obedience of the Holy Roman Church; which being by us ob

served, after having returned thanks to God, we thought fit, in order to the compassing and securing of all those good effects, to assemble a diocesan synod in some commodious place near the middle of the said diocese, there to treat of all such matters as are convenient for the honour of God, the exaltation of the holy catholic faith and divine worship, the good of the church, the extirpation of vice, the reformation of the Christians of the said diocese, and the profit and peace of their souls; to which end, having pitched upon the town and church of Diamper, we do hereby let all the inhabitants and Christians of the said Bishopric, as well ecclesiastics as laicks, of what state or condition soever, to understand, that we do call and assemble a diocesan synod in the said town of Diamper, on the 20th of June, of this present year, 1599, being the third Sunday after Whitsuntide; and do therefore, by virtue of holy obedience, and upon pain of excommunication, latæ sententiæ, command the reverend, the Archdeacon of this diocese, and all the other priests of the same, that shall not be hindered by age, or some other just impediment, to be present in the said town of Diamper, there with us to celebrate a diocesan synod conformable to the holy canons: and whereas by immemorial custom, and a right introduced into this diocese from its beginning, and consented to by all the infidel kings of Malabar, the whole government, as it were, and the cognizance of all matters wherein Christians are any ways concerned, has belonged to the church, and the prelate thereof; and it having likewise been an ancient custom in the same, to give an account to the people of whatsoever has been ordained in the church, in order to its being the better observed by all: we do there

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1599.

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CHAP. fore, under the same precept and censure, command all Christians in all towns and villages of this Bishopric; and where there are no villages, all that use to assemble together at any church as belonging to it, immediately upon this our pleasure being intimated to them, to chuse four of the most honourable, conscientious, and experienced persons among them, to come in their name at the said time, to the said synod, with sufficient powers to approve, sign, confirm, and consult in their name, so as to oblige themselves thereby to comply with whatsoever shall be determined in the synod. And that these commissioners may demand or propose whatsoever they shall judge to be of importance to the synod, and for the spiritual or temporal good of their people; we do grant free liberty to all in this diocese, as well ecclesiastics as laicks, that have any complaints, grievances, or controversies about any such matters as are decidable by the prelate, or other Christians, to represent the same to the synod; where they shall be heard with patience, and have justice done them according to the sacred canons, customs, and lawful usages of the country.

"And whereas we are informed that there are several things in this Bishopric which are the causes of great contentions, we do therefore not only give leave, but do also admonish and command all that are concerned in any such matters, that, forbearing all other ways that are prejudicial to Christianity, they do now make use of this just and holy way of putting an end to all their debates: and since to bring all these things to a good issue the favour and assistance of God is necessary, from whom all good things do proceed, and without whom we can do nothing; wherefore, to engage the divine clemency