Summary — In the mid-twenties, under pressure from the British authorities, the Holy See decided to nominate an English priest for the post of auxiliary to mons. Barlassina, in the hope of diluting the latter’s anti-British feeling. But the patriarch managed within a short time to marginalize his substitute, and to replace him with a more loyal person. Those who had most success in mitigating the exuberant character of the patriarch were the apostolic visitor for Palestine, father Paschal Robinson and the apostolic delegate mons. Gustavo Testa. Barlassina also had difficult relations with the eastern catholics. Here, too, on more than one occasion, the patriarch created problems for the Holy See, the policy of which, in those years, was to favour the eastern rites over the latin ones. Other important occasions of conflict with the authorities were the visit by the anglican primate to Palestine and the emanation of the " Education Ordinance ". On both of these occasions, the resolute behaviour of the patriarch had injurious effects on relations between the Holy See and the British authorities. However, despite his difficult character, or perhaps indeed because of it, mons. Barlassina remained at the head of the Patriarchate for nearly thirty years, even though the British authorities repeatedly and insistently requested that the Vatican transfer him to another post.