Pennabilli and Tibet

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The story of Father Orazio della Penna
Short notes about the life of Father Orazio Olivieri della Penna (1680-1745),
Capuchin Missionary and Prefect of the Tibetan Mission. (by Elio Marini)

Father Francesco Orazio della Penna was born in Pennabilli in 1680, youngest of three children, of the noble family Olivieri. At the age of 20, ended the classical studies, he entered the Capuchins monastery of Pietrarubbia. It was during the time of his ecclesiastical training that the Sacra Congregazione di Propaganda Fide (Holy Propaganda Congregation Fide) decreed the establishment of a mission in Tibet and the Piceno Province had been entrusted with the Tibetan Mission (1703). The territorial limits of this new ecclesiastical unit were rather vaguely described as little was known of the places. The Decree stated that the new mission was to extend "in the direction of the source of the Ganges River, towards the kingdom of Tibet". There was a good deal of talk and excitement about it among the young students of the theological course. Father Francesco Orazio sent in application and great was his joy when he learnt that his petition was finally granted. The first missionaries left in 1704 and after unspeakable strains, on the 12th of June 1707 they arrived in Lhasa. At the end of 1711 Father Domenico da Fano, prefect of the mission, decided to go back to Rome; life in Tibet was very difficult, the fathers had no money and risked to die of starvation. In Rome the mission was reorganized. The opening of missionary stations at Chandernagore in Bengala, in Patna on the way to Nepal, in Kathmandu and of course in Lhasa, was decided. In the autumn of 1712 new missionaries left to Lhasa, among them Father Francesco Orazio Olivieri della Penna, that would have then become the mainstay of the mission, the strongest personality of his history and the only Tibetan scholar deserving this name. On the 1st of October 1716 the fathers were in Lhasa, they started again the evangelization and the medical practice and the prefect, received by Lha-bzan-Khan, clearly explained to him the purpose of their mission. The regent, understanding and interested, invited them first of all to improve the language. For this reason Father Orazio della Penna and the Jesuit father Ippolito Desideri settled in the large monastery-university of Sera. A learned Lama was assigned to them as their teacher. Here the two missionaries could learn the literary language, discuss freely with the monks and besides having daily access to the valuable library of the monastery. It was indeed a golden opportunity to know all about the mentality and culture of the Tibetan people. Mass was said there and the rest of the day was spent in study and discussion. The two Catholic Priests lived side by side with the learned lamas in a Buddhist monastery, they partook of the same food and of the same community life. It was indeed a rare example of adaptation. Father Francesco Orazio remained in the monastery of Sera for nine months, from April 1717 to January 1718. However, for a period of four years he continued to learn the common and literary language under the tuition of a qualified Lama. It was at the monastery of Sera that Father Orazio started the writing out of a Tibetan-Italian dictionary, done directly on the Tibetan texts and therefore referred to the literary language. In 1732 the dictionary was consisting of about 33000 words. After the fury of the Mongols invasion (1717-1720) the fathers were well known in Lhasa. The "white head Lama", so was called Father Orazio, had very much improved in the Tibetan language both written and spoken, and was in good terms with the Dalai lama and K'an-c'en-na; Father Giovacchino was practising succesfully and free of charge the medical art. The people knew and respected them; all the documents praise the two missionaries: "... they have not committed any kind of bad action not even such as the root of an hair" ....."You that came from far away with a mind not directed towards food, earnings, fame, women have been of great benefit for many creatures". For about ten years the two fathers stayed alone in Lhasa and with the credit they had they got special licenses for a foreigner; such as the authorization to buy a land from the government at a symbolic price for the building of a home and a church (1725). It was a fecund period for the drafting of Father Orazio's important literary works. He translated the Lam-rim-c'en-mo by Tson-k'a-pa, the Life of Buddha, the sKyabs-su-'gro-ba and other important works. The civil war in 1727-28 did not seriously damage the mission. P'o-lha-nas, the new regent, had been knowing Father Orazio since many years and confirmed the privileges of the mission. The Capuchins kept going to the court and their missionary activity, practically limited to the foreigners, did not bother anybody. But it seemed they had been forgotten in Rome and Orazio, who was starting to have health problems, decided to go down to Nepal and from here, then resolved to go back to Rome, where he arrived in 1736, seeking for help. In Rome he obtains the concern of Cardinal Belluga, a Spanish prelate, who helps him to reorganize the mission on financially sound basis. Furthermore a complete Tibetan printing works was built, whose types were engraved on the indication of Father Orazio self. Diplomacy was also taken in good care, with the expeditions of two breves to the Dalai Lama and P'o-lha-nas, carrying rich presents. In October 1738 the new expedition left from Italy and reached India in September 1739. After a hard journey, on the 6th of January 1741, Father Orazio and three more brothers arrived in Lhasa. They got back to the hospice and in September they were received by the regent first and by the seventh Dalai Lama at the Potala a few days later. Both of them conceded a document that granted to the missionaries freedom of worship and proselytism. The mission, having now men and means as never before, did a busy activity of written and oral propaganda during the ensuing months. Father Orazio wrote and printed letters and tracts of confutation of the Tibetan religion, translated the Christian Doctrine and other religious works. About twenty Tibetan men and women were converted. The new Christian community hit immediately against an obstacle that the missionaries had probably not forseen: the inextricable connection between religious and common life, that existed then in Tibet. When the new converted Tibetans refused to accept the Dalai Lama's blessing and to take part to the lamaistic prayers, to which they were obliged as a corvee due to the state ('u-lag), the whole matter took a political meaning and the tribunals intervened. After a long trial on the 22d of May 1742, 5 Christian men and women were flogged on the public square. The blow was shocking and started the beginning of the end. The vacuum was left around the missionaries. Thanks to the diplomacy and to the personal ascendancy, Father Orazio succeeded in re-establishing a relationship with the court and was given an audience again, both by the regent and the Dalai Lama, but it was clear by then that the mission had no future. On the 20th of April 1745 the last missionaries left the capital and set off for Nepal. After the missionaries had left it, the monastery was destroyed by the frenzied crowd. Only the bell was rescued and carried to the Jo-bo-kan, where it is still hanging. Orazio, who arrived in Tibet dying, actually died at Patan on the 20th of July 1745 at the age of 65, 33 of which spent for the Tibetan mission.

 
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The visit of the Dalai Lama