Conflicts among religious orders of Christianity: A study of Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries

Abstract

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the presence as well as activities of religious orders of Christianity in Vietnam, predominantly the Society of Jesus, Mendicant Orders (Franciscan Order, Dominican Order, etc.), and the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris, to establish or maintain and strengthen the interests of some Western countries’ (Portugal, Spain, France) missionary work in this country led to conflicts and disputes over the missionary area as well as the right to manage missionary activities among religious orders of Christianity. From 1665 to 1773, the Vietnamese Catholic Church witnessed protracted disputes and conflicts between Jesuits sponsored by the Portuguese and the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris backed by France. While contradictions between them remained unresolved, from the first half of the 18th century onwards, conflicts and disputes between the Spanish Franciscan Order and the missionaries of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris continued to arise. This influenced the development of Christianity in Vietnam during this period. Based on original historical sources and academic achievements of Vietnamese scholars as well as international, this article applies two main research methods of the history of science (historical and logical methods) with other research methods (systemic, analysis, synthesis, comparison, etc.) to closely examine the “panorama” of the conflicts between the religious orders of Christianity that took place in Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries. The article analyzes the underlying and direct cause of this phenomenon, making certain contributions to the study of the relationship among religious orders in the process of introduction and development of Christianity in Vietnam, as well as the history of East-West cultural exchange in the country during this period.