Summary of a letter sent by the trinitarian procurator general [Domenico Taffuri?], 1673

Summary of a letter sent by the trinitarian procurator general [Domenico Taffuri?], 1673

Algiers

Non-Catholic Christians

Trinitarians

Summary of a letter sent by the Trinitarian Procurator General [Domenico Jafurt], about the case of Bartolomeo Da Serrano. Among other issues, PF discussed the matters concerning Le Vacher and Bartolomeo Da Serrano several times on 11 January. Da Serrano was sent from a Trinitarian house in Spain to Tunis to take care of the hospitals. The problem is that he does not accept the authority of the vicar apostolic, and that he administers the sacraments without a licence. PF praises Le Vacher because he first warned Da Serrano not to administer the sacraments, and only later threathened with interdiction. PF also wrote to the Trinitarian general and asked to let their priests obey the vicar apostolic, and to call Da Serrano back. However, he thought that he was not obliged to listen to the vicar apostolic, and in collaboration with his superior he wrote a letter to PF, stating the following: a) on 6 November 1671 Le Vacher told Da Serrano that he could not give absolution, though he could do this according to the rights granted to his order; b) he forced a companion of Da Serrano (Gio' Marcos), to accept ill lutherans in the hospital, when it would have been better to keep the wolfs seperate from the lambs; c) on 19 March Le Vacher told Da Serrano that he wanted to sing mass in his chapel, when Da Serrano objected Le Vacher threatened to suspend him from the administration of the sacraments; d) on 24 May whilst they were celebrating mass in the chapel of the bagno of the king, Le Vacher removed a crucifix that Da Serrano placed there four months earlier, because he believed they should place something of S. Louis, the French king. After this he supsended Da Serrano from administering the sacraments. He told the Turks that Da Serrano wanted to create a revolt for which he was incarcerated; e) Le Vacher used the Franch consul [Jean Armond Dubordieu], and the Turkish tribunals to press charges against Da Serrano; f) Le Vacher forbade all priests to administer the sacraments in the bagno of S. Gioseppe, and he offered this bagno for 800 pezze as a resident for merchants. He blocked the four reali that each French ship had to pay to the hospital; g) Le Vacher placed a Portuguese priest in the hospital to administer the sacraments and take alms from the sick. After a conflict he forbade the priests to celebrate mass in the hopsital; h) on 28 May the companion of Da Serrano was forbidden to collect money for the ill; i)  on that day Da Serrano was also taken from the hospital to the governor, where he complained that he had not done anything wrong; j) when he arrived home he received a order from Le Vacher, not to administer the sacrements outside the chapel of S. Gioseppe; k) all the things written above are absolutely true, one could check it by contacting the mentioned people. That is why the General [Domenico Jafurt] concludes that the charges against Da Serrano are motivated by hate and not by zeal. PF decides to write to the Trinitarian Superior and to the nuncio to Spain, and request that Da Serrano should be recalled.

Date discussed: 1673-02-28

Additional comments

PF

APF SOCG 438, 468r-469r, 470v, 471r-v

1673

This is a copy of the same text in the ACTA file: ACTA 43, 44v-47r.
See for the letter to the nuncio in Spain: APF LETTERE 61, 19r-v (database item 610).

Original

Italian

Latin

Summary

770

Origin: unknown

Destination: [Rome]