 In 1692, he obtained an 'edict of tolerance' that gave to the missionaries almost complete freedom to preach Christianity.At a time when the future of Christian faith seemed to be bright in China, the Chinese Rites controversy was raging in Europe.Charles-Thomas Maillard de Tournon, a papal legate, arrived in Beijing in 1705 purportedly to inquire on the orthodoxy of the Chinese rites (particularly the 'Veneration of Ancestors' ritual, accepted by the Jesuits).