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634 BENEDICT VADAKKEKARA DOCUMENT V 13 J.tM.· Copia dell'Ordine mandata di1 Mons. Hartmann ai Missionari Carmelitani che devono uscire da Bombay: 'Omnia mobilia et immobilia, in Missione hac acquisita, Missionis pro– prietas sint, et auferri nequeant. Quae autem Missionarius praeter vestiarium secum sumere liceat ex Superioris Missionis judicio dependet. Uncle mobilia hie relicta (etiam R.[everendissi]mi Episcopi Mennitensis) extrahere minime licet nisi Sac.[ra] Congregatio expresse aliud jusserit, prout ex litteris E[minentissimi] Cardinalis Praefecti dare constat'. 2. Carmelite Vicariate ojBombC!J in impasse The creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Bombay was a straight offshoot of the establishment of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide in 1622 for outmanoeuvring the Padroado's unrelenting claim to exdusivism and for reinvigorating in this way the Church's evangelization undertakings. The strategy included the creation of Apostolic Vicariates as nerve-centres of missionarizing. In India the first Apostolic Vicar was chosen in the person of Matthew de Castro (1594-1677) 14 , a native priest. On 16 November 1637 he was made Apostolic Vicar of Bijapm. Equipped with pressing appeals from the Propaganda to the Augustinian, Capuchin and Carmelite Superiors ·in the Levant, Mgr Castro left Rome in April 1638 and proceeded to his destination via the Middle East. To his immense relief the Capuchins in the Orient came to the succour of his inceptive Vicariate. Along with 4 Capuchins - Zeno of Bauge, Peter of Pithiviers, John Baptist of Pair-en-Ren and Stephen of Chatellerault 1 5 - he resumed his journey from Aleppo on 1 March 1639. Disembai>king in Goa in November 1639, Mgr Castro and his three companions (Fr John Baptist had died at Shirar), to their chagrin, had to reckon with the tenacious obstructionism of the Padroado authorities. In the face of this insurmountable antagonism, they decided to call it quits. While Mgr Castro made his way to the 13 AGCarm, GranMogu/268-f. 14 Matthew de Castro Mahalo, first apostolic vicar ofBijapur (1637) 15 All Capuchin friars: Zeno of Bauge (fl. 1670), Peter of Pithiviers (£1. 1643), John Baptist of Pair-en-Ren (t 1639), Stephen of Chatellerault (t 1655).