Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira, or simply Gaspar de Leão Pereira or Gaspar de Leão (

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

- Goa, 15 August 1576) was the first

Archbishop of Goa The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman ( la, Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis, gom, Gõy ani Damanv Mha-Dhormprant, pt, Arquidiocese de Goa e Damão) encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan r ...

. After the diocese of Goa was elevated to an archdiocese, he was appointed Archbishop of Goa, Primate of the East in 1558 or 1559. He arrived in

Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a s ...

on 15 April 1560 to take possession of his charge. After seven years, in 1567, he renounced the position, and retired to the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

, a few miles from Goa. He was succeeded by Jorge Temudo. On the latter's death in 1571, Gaspar returned to occupy the archdiocese, where he remained until his own death in 1576.

José António Ismael Gracias José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

José António Ismael Gracias : ''A Imprensa em Goa nos Séculos XVI, XVII e XVIII. Apontamentos Histórico-Bibliográficos'', Nova-Goa, 1880 points to several names of archbishops who marked the history of the

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

, including Gaspar de Leão Pereira, who is cited by the author as the "male doctor and virtuoso, presiding over the destinies of the archdiocese, also chaired the movement of these presses." However, this same author notes the existence of prior censorship of books that were printed: "We have seen that most of the books that we have made mention, were printed prior to censorship and licenses, including those of Archbishop Gaspar! ... What do these criticisms show up and licenses for books written by people of recognized letters and piety? If anything proves the power of the terrible

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

, the power that knew no bounds, and that extended up to shackle the mind and oppose the free expression of thought." (Gracias, p. 23). He was also founder of the St. Paul's College in Goa, where printers were free and uncensored, in order to follow the intellectual movement. He is buried in the

Se Cathedral The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies. It is part of the World Heritage Site, Churches and con ...

, Goa, near the Altar of Saint José.

Works by Gaspar de Leão

* ''Compendio espiritual da vida cristã'', etc., Published in Goa by João Quintino, 1561. Inocêncio Francisco da Silva said that it "seems to have been the first book that Sahira printed on presses of Goa." * ''Tratado que fez Mestre Hieronimo de Sancta fé, Médico do Papa Benedito XIII, contra os Judeos, etc.'', (tracts against the Jews, etc.) Goa, João d'Endem, 1565 * ''Desenganos de Perdidos'' (''Disappointments of the Lost''), Goa, João d'Endem, 1573. This latter work is mentioned among the books prohibited by the '' Index Expurgatorius'' from 1581: the

Portuguese Inquisition The Portuguese Inquisition ( Portuguese: ''Inquisição Portuguesa''), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of its king, John III. ...

thought that this book could not run.Inocêncio Francisco da Silva: ''Dicionário Bibliográfico Português''.

References

External links

Goan Catholics Portuguese Renaissance writers 16th-century births 1576 deaths Colonial Goa People from Lagos, Portugal 16th-century Portuguese people 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in India Year of birth unknown {{India-RC-archbishop-stub

Works by Gaspar de Leão

See also

References

External links