1834.] Account of the Christians on the Malabar Coast, 102 



of Rome. As the first step however in obedience to the Pope's injunc- 

 tions, he nonninated Francis RoZy a Jesuit of great learning, and 

 well skilled both in Syriac and Malayalim, vicar Apostolic of the 

 diocese. The council of Goa disapproved of this nomination, as 

 likely to disgust the church of Malabar, and recommended the ap- 

 pointment of the archdeacon George, whom Mar Abraham, at his 

 death had left in charge of his diocese, and who was universally 

 respected and esteemed. Menezes, in accordance with their sug- 

 gestion, sent the archdeacon a new patent, appointing him vicar 

 general, but giving him two associates in the office, Francis Roz, 

 and the Rector of the college of Vaipicotta. In the same letter, he 

 ordered him to make before the Rector of the college, a solemn con- 

 fession of fuith according to the council of Trent, together with the 

 oath contained in the bull of Pius IV. The archdeacon objected to 

 the appointment of any associates in 1 is office, and Menezes yielded 

 the point and sent him a new patent, appointing him sole vicar ge- 

 neral, with no other condition than the confession of faith. The 

 archdeacon received the patent, but declared that vs^ithout it he was 

 in full and lawful possession of his charge, and deferred the con- 

 fession of faith, to Thursday in Passion week, ostensibly in order to 

 make it more solemn, but really in the hope that before that time a 

 new bishop would arrive from Mosul. 



The appointed day however being come, the archdeacon declared 

 boldly that he v/ould not make the confession of faith demanded of 

 him, that he did not recognize the church of Rome as having any 

 thing to do with that of St. Thomas, and that he would never sub- 

 mit to the archbishop of Goa as his superior. He convoked an as- 

 sembly of the priests and chief persons of the nation at Angamale 

 who resolved that in all matters of faith, they would do nothing 

 without the consent of the archdeacon ; that they would suffer no 

 innovation of the antient usages, that they would never suffer 

 the law of St. Thomas to be destroyed, nor even admit any 

 bishop into the diocese but those who come to them from the Pa- 

 triarch of Babylon. They swore to maintain these articles at the 

 peril of their property and lives, and published their resolution 

 throughout the diocese. 



From that time, they no longer suffered the Portuguese priests to 

 officiate in their churches, as they had done before, nor the Jesuits 

 of Vaipicotta to preach amongst them. 



A, D. 1597. Menezes, alarmed at the news of this insurrection, 

 resolved immediately to visit the diocese, and was only prevented 

 from executing his plan, by a war which broke out between two 



