From Papal Envoys to Martyrs of the Faith: An Attempt in Generalization of Franciscan preaching in China in the 13th– 18th Centuries

Abstract

The article is an attempt to systematize the preaching of the Franciscan order in China, starting with the papal embassies to the Great Khans who conquered the Middle Empire and founded the Yuan dynasty until the end of the 20th century. The author groups the information into several major periods, suggesting a five-stage periodization of the Franciscan presence in the Far East. A change in the preaching paradigm is noted during the 700 centuries of the fickle Minorites’ presence in China. While the first reconnaissance missions, achieving modest success in preaching to non-Chinese subjects of the Mongol emperors, were mainly diplomatic in nature, in modern times the mission, enjoying the support of the Spanish Padroado system, is purposefully concentrated on preaching work, especially among the poor segments of the population. Since the 16th century begins a change in the entire logistic paradigm of the Far Eastern missionary work. If in the Middle Ages the Pope had enough to send several barefoot Franciscans to the Tatars, then in modern times the church is already forced to reckon with the countries that divided the world, initiating the Age of Exploration, first of all, with Spain and Portugal, the two then superpowers, each of which supported their own preachers, competing for influence in India, China and Japan and giving the task of preaching Christianity an additional political dimension, laden with rivalry and intrigue. The article is a continuation of the piece by the same author, focusing on theoretical foundations of the Franciscan proselytization, published earlier [Dubrovskaya, 2020(1)].