A "Committee of Elders" was formed who held public meetings and contacted the press noting that Canilla was too young and inexperienced.

Canilla complained but the governor sided with the mob and about ten of them broke into the church and ejected Alfred Weld, an English Jesuit, who had been sent to investigate the problems in Gibraltar.

Weld had gathered over 400 signatures from locals in support of Canilla so that when the Governor advised London that nothing could be done he got a strong reply.

London had received a different account from Canilla and the governor was told that his police should be able to keep order especially inside a military fortress.

When the new force came to the church they found it was occupied by 200 men and the police had to make four dozen arrests to establish order.

[2] When Canilla died in 1898 he was recognised for support he made of workers rights during disputes[4] and for the good work he had done for the Jews and for the poor but particularly in the continuing improvement he encouraged in education.