Chapter 136: The People of the Mission

“That strange Italian?” Trigault said with disapproval. “I find him a suspicious character.”

Besides Weiss Lando, he was accompanied to Lingao by a young priest named Cecilio. He was a student of Trigault’s, and the friar held him in high esteem.

A large quantity of goods would also be traveling with them to Lingao. In addition to the various goods sold to Lingao under the mutual supply agreement, there were also gifts from the Jesuits: sacred vessels for the church, church decorations, crucifixes, stained glass windows, large cast-iron chandeliers, candlesticks, and various sculptures, a dazzling array. Many of these items were purchased from the Philippines or even Europe. Father Trigault—or as he now called himself by his new Chinese name, Jin Lige—was surprised as he looked at the long cargo list.

“We’re shipping so many things?”

“A new church is about to be completed in Lingao, and they are also preparing to expand the main church and monastery there.”

“Since the Australians have their own church, cathedral, and monastery, and they have the best craftsmen in the world, why do they need us to provide everything?” Jin Lige found it hard to understand. “And three thousand small crucifixes, do we have to provide those too?”

“Yes, it’s part of the mission agreement.”

“God!” Jin Lige made the sign of the cross. “Are they still lambs of God?”

“There are many atheists among the Australians,” Father Comanjet said, making the sign of the cross as he spoke the word. “God bless. There are indeed believers of God among them, but they are not the ones who truly hold power.”

The ones who held power were a group of the most philistine merchants—that was Father Comanjet’s impression.

Jin Lige’s face immediately paled. In his mind, “atheist” was a more terrifying existence than “heretic.”

“But they are all polite gentlemen, with exceptional knowledge. Their souls—” Comanjet sighed with regret. “May the light of God shine into their dark hearts…”

“This is a top secret of the Macao Jesuits,” Father Comanjet said, taking a file from a locked cabinet. “You may read it here and commit it to memory.”

What Father Comanjet handed him was a secret document compiled based on Father Lu Ruohua’s letters.

The version of his “Lingao Correspondence” that circulated within the Church was not the complete one. Many key contents had been deleted by the Jesuits. Having learned their lesson from the mission in Japan, the Jesuits were determined to prevent other religious orders from interfering in the missionary work on Hainan Island. Not only did they demand exclusive missionary rights, but they also completely controlled crucial information.

This document concerned the religious status and ideological tendencies of Lingao’s rulers—the Transmigrators.

One of the lists in it detailed the status of the main clergy in the Australian church and the Catholics and believers of other denominations that Lu Ruohua had already discovered among the Australians.

The number of Catholics in Lingao, including those converted in the Li areas, had now grown to over a thousand, and there were over a hundred friars and nuns in the monastery. But the Jesuits were more interested in the Catholics among the Australians—they knew very well that the native believers played no role in Lingao’s power structure.

The Jesuits’ top priority was to convert as many new believers as possible among the Transmigrators—this was also one of the main tasks assigned to Jin Lige. Only in this way could the Jesuits have influence in the Australian Senate.

“The church in Lingao is now under the jurisdiction of a monastery abbot named Wu Shimang. His official title is the Abbot of the Lingao Monastery,” Father Comanjet explained. “He is also a member of the Australian Senate and enjoys the rights of a nobleman.”

“Is he a devout believer?” The position of abbot, with its great wealth and complex property rights, was often seen in Europe as a major source of corruption in the Church.

“Ah, according to Brother Lu Ruohua’s letters, Abbot Wu is a capable monastery abbot. Very capable,” Comanjet said.

The implication was that he was very good at managing the monastery but not very enthusiastic about religion.

“Has he been ordained?”

“I think not,” Father Comanjet said with a smile. “Brother Lu says he does not seem like an ordained abbot.”

“Is he a lay abbot?”

“It’s hard to say. We’ve never been able to figure out the specific organization of the Australian church. It feels like they have a great deal of arbitrariness,” Comanjet commented. “There is also his assistant, Father Bai Duolu of the Bairen Church.”

“Father Bai is a good Catholic—he was once Brother Lu’s assistant and helped a great deal in spreading the gospel. He is also a theologian—he provided the Chinese version of the ‘Catechism’.”

“Thanks be to God.”

“Miss Diana Mendoza. A devout believer.”

Jin Lige was disappointed. “Are there only these three?”

“Yes, according to Brother Lu Ruohua’s letters, only these three among the Transmigrators of the Senate are lambs of God,” Comanjet said with a frown. “There are also Puritans in the Senate.”

“God!” Jin Lige exclaimed.

“They are two European women. Brother Lu says they speak a strange kind of English.”

“Are they English?”

“I think not. Besides their European appearance, their behavior and manners are no different from the other Australians,” Father Comanjet said slowly. “Although they are heretics, they don’t seem to be interested in religion…”

“Are there no Puritan places of worship?”

“None,” Comanjet said with a sigh of regret. “But they have another powerful heretical church. It’s called ‘Dao’.”

“Father Matteo Ricci mentioned in his writings: it is a native idolatry of the Chinese…”

“Exactly. However, the Australian ‘Dao’ places of worship have no idols. Father Lu Ruohua mentioned this in his letters,” Father Comanjet said. “Unfortunately, the Australian Transmigrators in Lingao seem to favor ‘Dao’.”

“Are they followers of ‘Dao’?”

“No, as I said, most of them are atheists.”

“That is to say, they do not favor ‘Dao’ out of faith.”

“Correct,” Father Comanjet said. “I believe the Australian Transmigrators see ‘Dao’ less as a faith and more as a tool of governance. The leader of the ‘Dao’ church is a young man named Zhang. He has a masterful grasp of traditional Chinese medicine and has won the support of many followers with it. He is said to be particularly popular in the savage areas and will be a major rival for you on the path of spreading the gospel.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know medicine.”

“When it comes to medicine, neither the Chinese nor ours can compare to the Australians. What they need are artists. The Australians lack painters, singers, and sculptors—ah, but according to Brother Lu Ruohua, they shouldn’t be lacking in such talents, but it seems they haven’t come to Lingao. You are an artist, skilled in sculpture and painting, and Brother Cecilio knows musical instruments. These will be very useful in Lingao—they will help you to have more contact with the Australians.”

“Finally, I must warn you to pay attention to a man named He Ying. In the Australian secular government, his title is ‘Religious Affairs Officer.’ This is a very powerful position—it seems the Australians, like the Dutch or the Ottomans, pursue a similar policy: allowing various faiths and heresies to circulate within the country. And he is the general manager and arbiter of all religious affairs,” Father Comanjet said. “Giving him some appropriate benefits will be of great help to the cause of spreading the gospel.”

“Yes, but I’ve read Brother Lu Ruohua’s letters. The Australians don’t seem to be interested in gifts. He says they are the most incorruptible and upright rulers he has ever seen.”

“Oh, you can’t give them those high-value gifts—they won’t care for them. Would they care for a Venetian carved cup or something else?” Father Comanjet said. “Where has your intelligence gone? Paintings, statues, perhaps they have a need for architecture…” Father Comanjet slowly raised his eyelids and looked at him.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Also, the Australian church is very different from ours. The believers do not observe the Great Fast.”

“God!”

“According to this Abbot Wu, the Australian church has been this way since ancient times,” Father Comanjet said. “This issue is not unforgivable. I believe the Holy See will grant a special dispensation for it.”

Father Jin Lige, filled with surprise, longing, and various fantasies, returned to his humble lodgings to pack his belongings. A priest doesn’t have much luggage, just a few changes of clothes. The most important things were his painting supplies: brushes, pigments, oils, and various odds and ends—many of which were not available locally and could only be bought in Italy, even in Europe. He had brought many with him when he came to the Far East.

The priest had a novice friar as his attendant, named John Dermot, from the “Isle of Saints”—Ireland. This novice had a shock of fiery red hair and was pale and thin. He was not only here to train as a friar but also to study painting under him. The priest was very fond of this young, hardworking friar and often taught him many painting techniques.

Friar Dermot was in his room, painting a sacred icon. Jin Lige carefully watched him apply a bright blue to the panel—a special blue that could only be bought in Venice. Seeing such a large area covered in it on a not-so-masterful painting made his heart ache a little. Dermot’s technique was good, but the portrait was very stiff. Jin Lige knew his disciple’s artistic talent was limited, but he was extremely fervent, both in his faith and his painting.

“Is your painting almost finished?”

“It will be finished soon.”