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REFOCUSING ON MGR ANASTASIUS HARTMANN 489 But Fr Irenaeus' case was proving to be a clifferent kettle of fish. He had equipped himself with a medica! certificate by way of justifying bis negative re– spanse to the orders of his superiors to join the ranks of his confrères in Mala– bar38. But instead he was decided on sttaightaway returning to Europe even though Mgt Hartmann had·advised him to first follow the directives of his su– periors and then to request the superiors for permission to return home. De– spite its appearing a roundabout route, it offered gteater scope of success. From Malabar meanwhile Bishop Bemardine was pressingly asking Mgt Hart– mann to induce Fr Irenaeus to accept bis ttansfer to Malabar. Mgt Hartmann was ttying in other ways too to make Fr Irenaeus change his mind. Neverthe~ less, without mincing matters he made the Carmelite Generai know that to his mind soft-pedalling on the question would bave gteater effect on Fr Irenaeus than confronting him head-on. Mgt Hartmann's letter to Fr Irenaeus (Docu– ment IV) was intended to be for the clisinclined missionary a yet further spur to respect the mind of his superiors. In plain words he was being told that the Vi– cariate was no longer in need of his services and that it was time for him to find his rightful place. Nevertheless since it was a matter of conscience for him, be had the full freedom instead of moving to Malabar as his superiors had cli– rected, to leave for Europe. Mgt Hartmann's was not an iron hand in a velvet glove39. Even a cursory study reveals that the Document V could have appeared in the eyes of the Carmelite Fathers rather irritable in style and too matter-of-fact in content. Mgt Hartmann's "order" took shape in the natural course of things then developing in the Vicariate of Bombay. Some of the Carmelite Fathers in India believed that they had been fraudulently deprived of their Vicariate 40 and 38 Mo1111n1tnta Anastasiana, III, 375, Mgr Hartmann to Cardinal Fransoni, Bombay 2 April 1855: "Pater Irenaeus iam cliu liber est, et probabiliter hoc mense in Europam proficis– cetur". 39 Mon11mmta A11a.stmiana, III, 380, Mgr Hartmann to Cardinal F.ransoni, Bombay 12 April 1855, gives the infom:iation that Fr Irenaeus left Bombay on 8 Aprii 1855 through the Cape of Good Hope (via Promontorii Bonae Spe~. 40 Mo1111menta .AJ1a.stasi1111a, III, 381, Mgr Hartmann to Cardinal Fnnsoni, Bombay 12 April 1855, adds a post script: "Ipsa epistola iam tenninata, reverendo patri W. Steins, Soc. lesu, super Carmelitar1,1m conatum verba feci ac eminentiae vesttae illustrissimae litera ex– hibui. Ille non solum attonitus fuit, sed declaravit, se in Bombay collegium habere non possc, nisi tale attent:atum pro semper abscinderetur, eo quod dumtaxat collisiones nutri– rentur; notum insuper esse, quantum Carmelitani se Societatis inttoductioni opposuisseot et quanta clifficultate praepositus genenlis nùssionem ac collegium acceptavisset. Eidem epis– tolam patris Andreae, Carmelitarum ministri generalis iussu seu approbatione script.am ... [sic)

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