ABSTRACT
The expulsion of the first bishop-elect of Rio de Janeiro in 1637 offers an opportunity to make a more detailed discussion about the conflicting relationship between the inhabitants of the city and the ecclesiastical authorities who were sent there. In fact, as the bishop said, it was his persistent fight against indigenous slavery that caused his troubles. However, numerous historical records of the episode sought to suppress the expulsion, or to significantly alter the reasons that led to it; such is the case of the monumental work by Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, who sees the event as an abuse of ecclesiastical power over civil institutions. This subject generated a memory that is expressed in a historical novel published in the nineteenth century. In more recent times, the argument embraced the protests of the local population regarding the actions of the bishop regarding private moral issues. Consequently, an important feature of the local culture - the slavery of the indigenous populations - leaves the foreground and plunges into neglect and oblivion.
Keywords:
Lorenzo de Mendonça; expulsion of the bishop; slavery of indigenous peoples