Relics of Saint Francis Xavier attract 12,000 people in India

St. Francis Xavier lived the life of a missionary, baptizing tens of thousands in India and Japan. In death, he continues to give himself to the Church of Christ, as his relics offer spiritual comfort to pilgrims in Italy and India.

The saint’s right arm is preserved in Italy, while a toe is found in India, after it was said to have been bitten off by an overzealous pilgrim. But the most intact relic of Saint Francis Xavier is his body (almost entire), which is displayed for veneration every 10 years, in a glass coffin to prevent further similar incidents.

At least 12,000 people gathered Thursday in the western state of Goa, India, for the inauguration of a decennial exhibition of the saint’s partially incorrupt remains. Thursday marked the beginning of a 45 day event in which the relics of Saint Francis Xavier, normally kept in a coffin in the Basilica of the Good Jesus, are displayed in the nearby Sé Cathedral for veneration.

The Archbishop of Delhi, Bishop Anil Couto, celebrated morning Mass at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, attended by more than 400 priests and bishops. Attendees then rode through the streets with the four-century-old glass coffin in a carriage to the Sé Cathedral, less than 300 meters away.

Local media They described the exhibition as an opportunity for religious unity, since many religious groups In India they respect the Catholic saint. In anticipation of the decennial exhibition, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi rated the saint as “a symbol of peace”, while the locals affectionately call Javier “Goencho See”, which means “protector of Goa”.

The celebration takes place amid growing violence towards Indian Christians, which has “skyrocketed” according to a 2024 report by American Christian leaders that instaron the US State Department to add India to the watch list for religious freedom violations.

To prepare for the exhibition, the Goa state government built 33 pilgrim huts, with a total capacity of 400 people per day. HE wait that 8 million people visit the relics during the 45-day period. The last exhibition, in 2014, received at least 5.5 million people.

Although traditionally a group of people carry the coffin on their shoulders, this year’s exhibition featured an electric carriage, which according to an organizer It is being used to avoid chaos. Goa authorities provided more than 700 police officers for security and traffic.

The exhibition will remain open until January 5. Pilgrims will be able to visit his relics from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm in the cathedral.

About the relic

Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was one of the first Jesuits in evangelizing vast areas of Asia. He was born into a noble family, but his family lost everything when he was young. As a young man he attended university, where his friend, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, encouraged him to give his life to God. At first, Javier resisted the call, but over time he became a Jesuit priest and missionary.

During his seven years in India, Javier attracted tens of thousands of people to the Church. While there, Javier lived on rice and water in a dirt-floored hut, teaching children about God and visiting prisoners and the sick. Later, Javier went to Japan, where he taught the first generation of Japanese Catholic converts. He died of illness on his way to China, on the island of Shangchuan. Was buried on the island with their priestly vestments. Xavier’s body was found incorrupt after his remains were exhumed a year after his death on the island of Shangchuan in 1552. His body was taken first to Malacca and then to Goa in 1554. Xavier was canonized in 1622. His feast day It’s December 3rd.

Javier’s remains have gone through more than just a change of location. In 1614, they took away the right forearm at the request of Pope Paul V. The relic of his arm has been kept in Rome ever since, except for a brief visit to Canada, when the arm was carried in a case on an airplane seat across Canada.

It was not the first time that Javier had body parts removed. At the first exhibition of her body in 1554, a Portuguese woman, Doña Isabel Carom, supposedly He bit off one of her toes to keep it as a relic. According to the storythe finger began to bleed. now the finger is preserved in a reliquary in Goa.

Going even further back, a report recorded that upon finding Javier’s intact body on the island, José Bravo, a Portuguese sailor, cut a piece of flesh from Xavier’s knee to prove to his captain that the remains were incorrupt.

Javier’s body was exhibited several times after his death, but the tradition of public exhibition with some frequency began after rumors circulated in 1782 that Javier’s body had been replaced by the remains of another person. The church held a public exhibition to address the rumors, beginning a tradition of exhibitions on special occasions. In recent decades, the tradition has been observed more consistently. This is the 18th exhibition of its kind, part of the saint’s 472-year legacy.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.