Summary of two petitions on behalf of CM Superior René Alméras and Nicolas Etienne to PF, [1662]

Summary of two petitions on behalf of CM Superior René Alméras and Nicolas Etienne to PF, [1662]

Madagascar

Petitions for missionary patents

Petitions for faculties

Summary of two petitions sent to PF stating: a) the request by René Alméras to declare Nicolas Etienne, Robert Menan and Michel Manie as missionaries in Madagascar, and to also give Etienne the faculties to appoint a vice prefect who will replace him in case of death; b) the petition by Nicolas Etienne to administer sacraments onboard ships other than the one which they initially boarded, and to exempt people onboard the ship from fasting during Lent, when no other priests are present on the ship. In the summary, PF secretary [Mario Alberizzi] comments that the Madagascar missionaries probably think they already have these rights outside the territory of their mission, which is not the case; usually they solicit and receive permission from the bishop of the harbor from which they depart; c) a further request from CM regards the possibility to celebrate mass in places where there are no other priests, even if it is not within the territory of their mission, and to also perform marriages and baptisms there; d) they also ask if they may hear confessions when the confessants does not speak the language of the priest (and can only use signs and gestures); and e) lastly they want to know if the confessor needs to confirm if the soldiers who come to confession are fighting a just war.

Date discussed 1662-11-27

Additional comments

APF SOCG 252, 28r-v

[1662]

The petition by Nicolas Etienne can be found in APF SOCG 252, 30r-v, 33v (database item 276) and the one by René Alméras is in APF SOCG 252, 31r, 32v (database item 277). Database Item 276 also includes the PF decision. The discussion of this summary and the petitions is in APF ACTA 286r, 288r-289r (same information as in SOCG; not in this database).

Original, undated and unsigned

Italian

Petition

275

Origin: unknown

Destination: [Rome]