VELASCO, PEDRO DE

Mexican Jesuit missionary and spokesman for the society in the controversy with Bishop Palafox; b. Mexico City, 1581; d. there, Aug. 26, 1649. He entered the Society of Jesus on March 6, 1597; after being ordained in 1604, he was assigned to the missions in Sinaloa, a difficult post among poverty-stricken native peoples. Although his uncle the viceroy wanted him to return to Mexico City to teach philosophy, Velasco asked to be permitted to remain in Sinaloa, pleading that it was more for the glory of God to attend 1,600 baptized souls and baptize others than to teach 30 students. He was allowed to remain until 1631, when he was transferred to Tepotzotlán as rector and master of novices. He was chosen procurator of the province in 1637; on Feb. 21, 1646, he was elected provincial. That year he accepted from Don Nicolás Giustiniani the foundation of a colegio in Guatemala, where the Jesuits had been working for 40 years in extreme poverty. As provincial, he became involved in the legal controversy between the Jesuits and Bp. Juan de palafox y mendoza of Puebla. On learning of the difficult situation of the Jesuits in Puebla, he appointed several Dominicans as conservative judges. On Sept. 22, 1648, after accusations and counteraccusations, after both civil and ecclesiastical intervention, Velasco informed the viceroy that the Jesuits and Bishop Palafox had reached a peaceful agreement. Palafox was recalled to Spain and the Pope appointed a commission of four cardinals to investigate the unfortunate dispute that had caused much harm to the Church. The See of Puebla was left vacant until the appointment of Diego Osorio de Escobar y Llamas in 1656; but the Jesuits went back to work there at once as a result of Velasco's careful negotiations.

Bibliography: g. decorme, La obra de los Jesuitas mexicanos durante la época colonial, 1572–1767, 2 v. (Mexico City 1941). f. j. alegre, Historia de la provincia de la Compañia de Jesús de Nueva España, ed. e. j. burrus and f. zubillaga, 4 v. (new ed. Rome 1956–60).

[f. zubillaga]