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414 THE AFRICAN ORJGINS OF THE MISSIO ANTIQUA successfully accomplished but also with a warm invitation from the papacy that King Alvaro should send an ambassador to Rome2 4 • This ambassador, Antonio Manuele, a cousin of Alvaro II, reached Lisbon in November 1605 but soon found himself in great difficulties. The embassy had been provided with the shell currency normally used for financial transactions in Kongo. This was perfectly adequate for use with the Portuguese in Luanda, but in Europe was valueless 25 . Even more difficult than this financial problem was the fact that the authorities in Lisbon and Madrid were most reluctant that he should go on to Rome, for they feared that this would result in a challenge to their patronal powers. They vigorously attempted therefore to persuade him not to proceed, but to entrust his affairs to their rep– resentatives in Rome. When Pedro in Rome learnt of the ambassador's pre– dicament, he saw this as an opportunity not only to resuscitate a Carmelite con– cern with Kongo but also to advance his plans for a papal mission to Ethiopia. At the invitation of Philip II, shortly after he had taken the crown of Por– tugal, a group of Spanish Discalced Carmelites had undertaken a mission to Kongo. Many in the reformed Order in Spain were, however, hostile to ac– cepting overseas missionary commitments, and the mission had been with– drawn26. One of the missionaries, Diego de la Encarnacion, had retained a warm memory of Kongo Christians and he succeeded in contacting the belea– guered ambassador in Madrid. In a draft petition to the pope which Diego sent Antonio on 1 January 1607, Diego suggested that the Carmelites should be sent to Kongo and its neighbouring areas from which one could reach out to "the great Emperor of Aetiopia who is called the Prester John" 27 . From Rome, Pe– dro wrote to Tomas de Jesus, a young Spanish Carmelite whom Pedro hoped would take charge of the projected mission and from there "open a route to Prester John". Tomas had been primarily attracted to contemplative life, and he was set firmly against accepting this task, even when he was informed that the pope approved the proposal. Then, one day, when saying Mass, he became 24 R. Gray, A Kongo princess, the Kongo ambassadors and the Papacy, in forthcoming Journal of religion in Africa (1999). 25 B.A.V., cod. Urb. Lat. 1076, f. Sv-6. Avvisi di Roma, 5.1.1608.. 26 F. Bontinck, Les Ca17lles Dechaux au royaume de Kongo (1584-1587), in Zai're-Afrique 262 (1992) 113-123. 27 A.S.V., Misc. Arm. I, 91, f. 215. Draft petition, January 1607, in the same hand as f.188r-v, Diego to the Ambassadors, 1.1.1607.