Franciscan Missionaries and Islam in China: An Analysis of the Brevis apparatus by Carlo Horatii da Castorano (Beijing 1725)

The life and missionary activity of the Franciscan Friar Carlo Horatii da Castorano is strictly connected to the Chinese Rites Controversy, however, among the numerous documents and volumes he edited, some also address different topics. In this paper, a Latin text with the title Brevis apparatus et modus agendi ac disputandi cum Mahumetanis, in duas partes divisus will be presented. The booklet today is preserved in the Library of the Pontifical Antonianum University of Rome and was written in Beijing in 1725 by the Italian Father who, at the time, was the apostolic administrator of Beijing. The main topic of the document is the features of the Islamic and Catholic faith, however, many references to the presence of Muslims in China during the eighteenth century are found. Before presenting the features and contents of the text, it is important to provide the historical and religious context during which the document was edited to constitute a background for the analysis. Therefore, the Islamic presence and the Franciscan missions in China will be presented and, subsequently, the mission of Carlo da Castorano and the specific text will be analyzed.