it pertains to receive and answer the said
decrees and clauses of the said brief that have been communicated
to him, has been notified of them; and as it is not apparent to him
from the said reply: he cannot make any innovation until such time as
the will of his superior, with whom those matters must be discussed,
is known to him...."
Having received that reply, the archbishop "declared the said father,
Fray Alonso de Valdemoro, to have incurred the penalty of greater
excommunication and of suspension from his office as minister, which
is imposed on him; and that, as such excommunicate, he was deprived
of what excommunication deprives one; and in order that he might
not allege or pretend ignorance, this declaration, stating that he
has incurred the censures imposed, is to be read and communicated
to him...."
Having heard the act, Father Valdemoro replied: "that, in consideration
of the replies that he has given, and his protestation against the
violence that his Excellency has exercised toward his order, and the
lack of summons, [19] which are an intrinsic right in excommunication,
he does not consider himself as such excommunicate, until information
has been given to his superior, as he has said, and in the meantime
he does not consider himself injured...."
After the aforesaid, Father Valdemoro took part in a procession,
in which the image of our Lady of Guidance was carried to the city,
so that the Lord might be pleased, through her intervention, to
bring safely to port the ships that were to anchor that year in
Cavite from Acapulco. The ecclesiastical fiscal was informed of it,
and he informed the provisor and vicar-general of it. At that time
the latter was the canon and treasurer, Don Juan Cevicos. He ordered
the father to leave the procession, and by the archbishop's order
he opened an official inquiry, in order to investigate the offense,
and to punish it according to law, "as the said father is a parish
priest and minister for souls in the said mission of Dilao, and the
said offense is dependent on the visit which his said Excellency is
making on him as such minister, inasmuch as he is, in that regard,
under his Lordship's jurisdiction and subject to him...."
The investigation ended on June 26 of the said year. In it the
depositions were taken of Licentiate Juan de Arguijo, ecclesiastical
fiscal of the archbishop; Don Alonso Garcia de Leon, canon; Licentiate
Jeronimo Rodriguez Lujan, presbyter; Miguel
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