Dr. John Rao discusses Regalism, the Universal Church and the missions. Dr. Rao now discusses the precise ways in which Regalist demands involved many clashes of the French, Portuguese and Hapsburg monarchies with the Church, as well as confrontations between the innumerable German principalities and both Catholic and Protestant communities. The Papacy especially found itself in a hard and basically losing struggle to defend its prerogatives. One special area of major concern was the Missions. Portugal (and Spain when it ruled over all of Iberia) was very jealous of any interference from the Papacy or international religious orders in the affairs of the Padroado. Taken from Regalism, Revolution, the Reign of Terror and the Assault on Catholicism (1648-1799) - 1998 VonHildebrand Institute