Il Nomenclatore di Macao: un nuovo spiraglio nella comprensione della controversia sui Riti Cinesi

The controversy over the Chinese Rites began in the early decades of the seventeenth century and lasted for more than three centuries. It involved whether elements of Confucian ritual practices were compatible with those of Catholicism. The Jesuit missionaries regarded them as merely social not religious ceremonies. However, the Dominicans and Franciscans considered all Confucian practices to be incompatible with the dogma of the church. This dispute eventually involved both Rome and the Chinese emperor and is considered to have contributed to the failure of the evangelization of China. The four private letters found in the archives of Propaganda Fide were encrypted to preserve the confidentiality of the contents pertaining to this controversy. It is hoped that the recent deciphering of this nomenclator will contribute to a better understanding of the Chinese Rites issue.