Nanjing Missionary Case (1616 A.D.)

Nanjing Missionary Case (1616 A.D.)

The conflicts between Chinese customs (like Confucianism and ancestor worship) and the Catholic doctrine led to one of the biggest confrontations between the Ch nese government and the Catholic movement. In the 44^th year of Emperor Wenli (1616 A.D., Ming Dynasty), a high ranking official in Nanjing, called Shen Huai, advised the Emperor repeatedly that Catholicism should be banned for the following reasons. 1) Western missionaries were spies, 2) Catholicism taught Chinese not to respect parents and worship ancestors, 3) Western missionaries stole proprietary Chinese knowledge, 4) Catholicism practiced weird customs like Chrismation, baptism and allowed male and female followers to study in the same room (forbidden by the conservative Chinese society). Anti-Catholic officials second the motion, while Catholic officials like Xu Guangqi opposed. Shen Huai arrested dozens of missionaries in Nanjing, on July 21 and August 14 and questioned them relentlessly. Urged by the Anti-Catholic movement, Emperor Wenli passed a law on December 28, deporting all foreign missionaries back to their homeland. Missionaries like Didaco de Pantoja, were deported to Guangzhou and many were sentenced.

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