Q. With reference to the religious policy of the Portuguese Estado da Índia, consider the following statements:
1.The Portuguese policy of Padroado Real strictly separated commercial interests from religious proselytisation, confining the latter to missionary societies.
2.The infamous Goan Inquisition was introduced by the Portuguese primarily to check the influence of the Jesuits, who were seen as a threat to the Viceroy’s authority.
3.The policy of destroying temples and forcing conversions was enforced most rigorously in their core sovereign territories like Goa and Bassein, but less aggressively in trading settlements like Hooghly.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is incorrect. The Padroado Real (Royal Patronage) was the absolute opposite; it was the mechanism that integrated the Church and the State, making the propagation of Christianity a core function of the colonial administration, inseparable from commercial objectives (“Gold and God”).
- Statement 2 is incorrect. The Goan Inquisition (formally established in 1560) was a tribunal established by the Holy Office (Church) to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, primarily targeting ‘heretics’ (new converts reverting to old faiths) and non-Christians (Jews, Hindus, Muslims) by prosecuting blasphemy and idolatry. It was not primarily aimed at the Jesuits, who were themselves major proselytisers.
- Statement 3 is correct. The state-backed persecution (such as temple destruction and forced conversions) was most aggressive and systematic in areas where the Portuguese had absolute sovereignty, like the island of Goa and Bassein, where they could bypass local Indian authority. In trading posts (like Hooghly or Diu), their reliance on local rulers or the Mughals often necessitated a more cautious approach.
