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ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPUCHIN ORDER IN INDIA 213 In the meantime the General Superiors were getting alarmed about the Novitiate in India precisely because no information thereof was reaching them. The clear directives of the Propaganda, published . in the Analecta OFM Cap l (1885) 233-234 and communicated to the Apostolic Vicars in India, had proved to be a futile exercise. There arose, therefore, the question of considering the Novitiate and the Stu– dy as being devoid of every juridical basis, as the mandate issued by the then General, Fr Nicholas of S. Giovanni, had not been reconfirm– ed by the incumbent General, Fr Bernard of Andermatt. Fr General was answerable to the Propaganda for the failure in implementing the ''precise orders of the Holy See, emanated in such a solemn way through the Cardinal Protector in the General Chapter". Since the Apostolic Vicars were feigning ignorance of Fr General's insistent pleas, the Gener– al Secretary of Missions felt constrained to take recourse to private channels for collecting the solicited information. He again repined against the fact that in Rome they knew hardly anything about the Friary and the Novitiate of Mussoorie 51 • It is only towards the middle of August 1885 that Fr Louis is seen vaguely hinting that everything was not in order at Mussoorie. But even here he did not make mention of any particular instarice of malfunction, but only alluded to certain signs of a creeping malaise 52 • His later letters, however, reveal that there were in fact some missionaries who were not approving of the students and the forma- separati dagli altri ragazzi, e sotto la disciplina di due sacerdoti, onde non manchi mai la debita istruzione e vigilanza. 2a. Che i Superiori delle tre Missioni affidate ai Cappucci– ni, si adoperino di trovare dei giovani di buon valore, e pre/eribilmente che siano figli di antichi Cristiani. 3a. Che si faccia lo stesso per ii Noviziato di Mussoorie a riguardo degli Europei". 51 Cf. APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, the General Secretary of Missions to Fr Louis, Rome 23 July 1885; 3 May 1886; 13 October 1886. Mgr Jacopi would later claim that he had been regularly keeping Rome abreast of everything. He must have been referring to his report sent to Rome in 1886. Cf. APCapTusc, Missione Indosta– no, Incarto I, Fr Raphael to Fr Louis, Agra 20 January 1887. 52 APCapTusc, Missione Indostan, Incarto I, Fr Louis to the General Secretary of Missions, Mussoorie 13 August 1885: " ... al R.mo Generale niente ho scritto mai in ta! materia, e solo nell'ultima che accompagnava lo scritto sopra Sardhana vi era una lontana e sbiadita allusione a fare qualche cosa perche non si seguiti a dormir la grossa. Forse V.P. leggendo posatamente ii detto scritto vi trovera accennato alcune cose, che ne suppongono altre taciute, e che sarebbero volute uscir fuori, ma la prudenza piu che l'argomento me lo vietavano".