Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/399

387 FRANCO DE PEROUSE APPOINTED ARCHBISHOP. 387 dressed on the 1st of May, 1318, a letter to Franco de Perouse, in which, erecting the city of Soultaniye into a metropolitan see, he established this zealous missionary as its archbishop. But the Pope did not limit him- self to entrusting to Franco the administration of that church ; he gave besides into his charge, the instruc- tion, the government, and the salvation of all the faith- ful in most of the lands occupied by the Mongols in the west of Asia. To assist the prelate whose jurisdic- tion extended over so immense a territory, he gave him, as suffragans, six bishops, also Dominicans : Gerard de Calvi, Guillaume Adam, Bartbelemy de Podio, Ber- nardin de Plai sauce, Bernard Moreti, and Barthelemy Abaliati. A special bull also authorised the arch- bishop elect to choose amongst the apostolic mis- sionaries, and to consecrate other bishops, should he think it necessary for the propagation of the faith. The Pope also commanded that in case deceased pre- lates could not be immediately replaced, the communi- ties of preaching brothers should take on themselves the care and regulation of the churches left without pastors. This seems to imply, says Father Foucon * that the order of St. Dominic had already several houses in Persia. After the great number of conversions spoken of, it was not very difficult for the Archbishop of Soultaniye to build monasteries and to fill them, since, when he was still only a simple priest and a stranger amongst barbarians, he had inspired so high an idea of his virtue, learning and talents, that he had acquired the most powerful influence over all minds and hearts. p. 781. c c 2
 * " Hist, ties hommes illustres de l'Ordre de St. Dominique," t. i.