The Indigenization Policy of Propaganda Fide: Its Effectiveness and Limitations in China (1622–1742)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

There is not much research on the earlier missionary policies of the Propaganda Fide in regards to China, and this paper fills a gap by analyzing many first-hand documents which were overlooked. It shows accurately how the policies met strong resistance from the colonial powers  and religious congregations, but limitations may have come also from the internal conflicts inside the Congregation and its lack of consistency in implementing the indigenization policy, especially in regards to the Chinese Rites controversy. The author should explain more clearly the reasons for its opposition to the Chinese Rites, and discusses further the view of Gianni Criveller (2012) who goes in the opposite direction. The author needs to show the tension between two objectives of the congregation: respect for the particular cultures and unified program (lines 532-535)

79: pave the road toward the future; 137: Portugal assistant (who?); 169: then the entire island; 228: dioceses were so large that the bishops were not able; 268: he completes his studies; 340: a matrix for the subsequent recovery; 356: gave about Luo the following testimony; 405: they did not understand Latin, but could read it for the mass; 439: Intorcetta S.J. was sent to Rome as elected procurator and he presented a petition on this issue; 501: that was first granted; 511: changes its indigenization policy to training Chinese clergy abroad. 550: There is no need to go into this (unclear meaning); 555: To circumvent these difficulties (what difficulties?); 616-618 (twice): not "national" but "local bishop"; note 12 second line: delete "on"; note 12 fifth line: wre = were; references: Etcharren: not "nous jours" but "nos jours"; Xie: not "Jiang hong" but Jianghong; Metzler: not decisions but décisions.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, many thanks for your comments and suggestions which I appreciate greatly. I have corrected the errors you pointed out, added several Chinese names and new references which, I hope, will render the context more comprehensible. I considered several possibilities for additional examples to show the tension between two objectives of the congregation, but each time required far too much explanation of the historical context for the non-specialist readers, such that it felt too unwieldy overall.

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper addresses the issue of the indigenization of the Church and the role of Propaganda Fide in China from an interesting and innovative perspective. The choice to provide a wide background to the role of the Congregation provides a precious insight into the global context of the Catholic missions and the mentioning of the different approaches used by the different orders enables the reader to get a deep idea of the complex situation in China and in Asia. Particularly interesting is the idea that the process and the efforts through the indigenization of the Church in China started with the establishment of Propaganda Fide and paved the way to what happened at the beginning of the 20th century with the Maximum Illud and the arrival of Celso Costantini. It is recommended to continue to explore this research field which also gives value to the documents preserved in the Archive of Propaganda Fide.

The content of the paragraphs is clear and well-structured. The author should consider submitting the text to an English native speaker for proofreading of the language. Below are some detailed suggestions: 

When quoting the documents in the PF Archive, I recommend giving more details as it is difficult to understand what acronyms such as CP or SOCG mean.  A separate section including the different collections of the Archive consulted in the References paragraph would be a useful tool. AAV also is lacking in the References paragraph. Furthermore, in direct quotations from documents of the Archive, it is suggested to specify the language of the original text and whether it is an author's translation, a quotation of a published translation, or other options. 

- title "its", not "it's"

- line 49 "focuses"

- line 66 "Pizzorusso"

- line 70 "Pizzorusso"

- line 80: "seriously"

- lines 81-86: unclear wording

- line 106, 114, 125,  not "Vittorio" but "Accorense" or "Father Accorrense". Vittorio is the first name of the priest.

- line 115: delete "to"

- line 162: delete "at"

- line 166: add a note on de Andrade

- line 184: reword the sentence

- lines 197-206: source of the quotation?

- lines 216-217: provide the original title too

- line 242: explain what a Congregatio particulars is (in the text or in a note)

- line 319: "Magna Charta"

- line 341: add Chinese characters to the name of Luo Wenzao

- lines 345-9: italic for the words in brackets? + Add a note on the meaning of regular student and attendant or servant

- lines 363-4: details on the anti-christian campaign and the calendar case mentioned 

- line 374: provide details on Della Chiesa

- lines 375-9: not clear: please, reword + provide details on Maigrot

- line 380: Francesco Nicolai da Leonessa

- line 453: add Chinese characters to the names

- line 474: von Collani, not Collani -- do the same in the Reference section 

- lines 514 ff: provide more details on the experience of Ripa

- lines 554-5: italic for the words in brackets

- note 6: explain or give more reference to the Corsiniano codex 

 REFERENCES 

Enzensberger 1971 correct to "Borgia"

The wrong use of prepositions and the wording of many sentences often prevent a fluid understanding of the text.

Proofreading of the English language by a native speaker is highly recommended. 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, many thanks for your comments and suggestions which I appreciate greatly. I have corrected the errors you pointed out, added several Chinese names, and new references and notes. I have asked an English native speaker who is also a specialist in field for proofreading, and the current version has also undergone English language editing by the journal of Religions which, I hope, will render the context more comprehensible.

Reviewer 3 Report

This is an important overview of the Propaganda Fide's historical advocacy of the indigenization of the Chinese Church, and of particular merit are the study's attention to Luo Wenzao, OP, and his relationship to the Fide's interest in encouraging a native clergy and episcopacy.

The assertion in lines 55-58 is an overstatement - there are numerous studies on China's Mendicant Orders. See, for example, Theobald Aumasson, La Croix Sur la Pagode (1947) on OFMs, Arnulf Camps and Pat McCloskey, The Friars Minor in China (1995) on OFMs, and Anthony Clark, Heaven in Conflict: Franciscans and the Boxer Uprising in Shanxi (2015). This last work also includes a discussion of the question of indigenous clergy in China.

Audrey Seah, "The 1670 Chinese Missal: A Struggle for Indigenizaion Amidst the Chinese Rites Controversy," in Anthony Clark, China's Christianity (2017), will also be of use to this excellent study.

Finally, for Matteo Ripa, see David Mungello, This Suffering Is My Joy: The Underground Church in Eighteenth-Century China (2021).

These works shall add to the article's arguments.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer, many thanks for your comments and suggestions which I appreciate profoundly. The books and articles which you mentioned are of great use and importance. I have already added them in this article which, I hope, will render the context more comprehensible.