教会发展对川东教案的影响

The Stimulation of Development of Churches to the Missionary Cases in Eastern Sichuan

川东成为教案高发区或曰重灾区,教会发达的影响或刺激是一个重要因素。其一,到1870年代中期四川还是天主教徒最多的省份,即使到1900年仍居第二位,在四川内部,川东信徒和慕道者人数远远高于川南和川西北两个教区。其二,教会领袖颟顸。不仅四川官员,就是其同行,甚至法国外交官对法国天主教川东主教范若瑟颇有微词,其之去职被"看作是和平时代的开端"。其三,法国保教态度强硬,动辄公使出面,动辄以武力威胁。这都使教会"发达不已,而反动力生"。

Eastern Sichuan is a high-incidence area of missionary cases and the stimulation of development of churches plays an important role in this fact. In the middle 1870s, Sichuan had been the province with the most Catholics and even in 1900, its amount of Catholics still ranked the second place. Within Sichuan, the number of Catholics and Catechumens was much higher in Eastern area than Southern and Western areas. The leader of church was unreasonable and was not only dissatisfied with Joseph, the Bishop of French Catholic in Eastern Si- chuan, but also with the officials in Sichuan and his peers, and even discontented with the French diplomat. His resignation was ＂seen as the beginning of an era of peace. ＂ The French Catholic was very tough and frequently called on the minister to come forward and threatened to resort to force. These all ＂stimulated the development of churches and made them reactionary＂.