Catholics and Non-Christians in the Archbishopric of Goa

Abstract

In 1567, the First Provincial Council of Goa was held in the city that became the seat of the homonymous Archbishopric and capital of the Portuguese conquests located in Asia. Within the scope of the Portuguese overseas empire, the Provincial Councils of Goa stand out for the relative regularity with which they were held, totaling five councils celebrated between 1567 and 1606, and for their role in the production of ecclesiastical legislation to be applied in territories and societies as diverse as those under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Goa. This chapter analyzes how the relationship between Catholics and non-Christians was intended to be governed by the Church and the Portuguese Crown in the Archbishopric of Goa. By analyzing the decrees of the Provincial Councils of Goa as well as some specific regulations utilized in the Estado da Índia, the actions aimed at promoting the conversion of local populations and eradicating non-Christian beliefs can be examined. Simultaneously, it is necessary to consider the multiple concrete circumstances in which Catholics and non-Christians coexisted and interacted in the territories of the Estado da Índia. The first section discusses the nature of the Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean and its establishments, demonstrating that the ecclesiastical organization of the Estado da Índia was built amid a diversity of establishments and communities under the influence—directly or indirectly—of the Portuguese Crown. The second section summarizes the historical contexts and main products of the five Provincial Councils of Goa. Additionally, the essence of the decrees contained in the Second Action of the minutes from these councils are analyzed, with attention to the regulations aimed at dealing with non-Christian social groups and the idealized means for promoting conversions to Catholicism in the Archbishopric of Goa. The determinations