The Audiencia in the Spanish Colonies: As illustrated by the Audiencia of Manila (1583-1800)Cunningham, Charles Henry
History
The Audiencia in the Spanish Colonies: As illustrated by the Audiencia of Manila (1583-1800)
Cunningham, Charles Henry
Philippines -- History -- 1521-1812; Spain -- Colonies -- Administration
Some reference should be made at this time to the abuses of the
interdict by Archbishop Pardo. This prelate went so far as to place
a ban upon the church of the Jesuits because it contained the dead
body of an offending oidor. For reasons other than the lack of legal
authority, the audiencia was powerless to restrain his censures at
that time. On another occasion the audiencia and governor, by placing
armed guards at the doors of the Dominican church and preventing
the celebration of services therein, suppressed an interdict which
had been issued through the influence of that order on behalf of
Archbishop Pardo. Governor Bustamante claimed that he was acting
in accordance with his own properly constituted authority in 1719,
when he appointed his own audiencia, set aside repeated interdicts,
penetrated the asylum of the church, arrested the archbishop and defied
the entire ecclesiastical organization. He seems to have exceeded
his powers no more flagrantly than did some of his predecessors
under like circumstances; yet, for personal and political reasons,
he was unable to count on the support of the other elements of the
colony in this struggle with the ecclesiastical power and the battle
ended disastrously for him. Acting-Governor Anda, relying on armed
force alone, defended Manila against the British, achieved victory
for his cause and secured the approbation of the king in the face of
repeated ecclesiastical censures from Archbishop Rojo. These incidents,
which occupy a prominent place in the history of the Philippines,
illustrate the usual method by which ecclesiastical censures were set
aside in actual practice, either by the audiencia or by the vicepatron,
who was supported by the tribunal.
A department of the church over which the audiencia did not have
such complete authority, either judicially or administratively, was
the Inquisition. Properly speaking, there was no tribunal of the Holy
Office in the Philippines, the Inquisition being represented in Manila
by a commissary. [850] This representative was sufficiently powerful,
however, to constitute a worthy opponent for the civil power and one
who, on account of the immunities which he enjoyed and because of the
secret methods which he was able to employ, kept all the tribunals
and authorities of the civil government at a respectful distance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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