Catholics throng in Goa for 500th birth anniversary of St. Xavier

Panaji – Catholic pilgrims have begun thronging the Basilica of Bom Jesus in western India, where the remains of the 16th century Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier are preserved, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his birth, church officials have announced.

Francis Xavier, a co–founder of the Society of Jesus, sailed to India in 1541 and later to Japan to preach the Catholic faith. After his death in China in 1552, his body did not decay and it was brought to Goa.

"This is not just a celebration of the past, but an occasion to reflect on our Jesuit identity and contemplate our response to the challenges of the modern world," Rev. Delio Mendonza, director of the church–affiliated Xavier Center of Historical Research said.

Visitors to the 400–year–old Basilica took a glimpse of the body, placed in a silver and glass casket, from its barely visible position on a pedestal almost 4 meters (12 feet) high.

The visitors were luckier last year as the body was lowered for a public exposition, which occurs for six weeks once every 10 years. The next exposition is set for 2014.

Savio Barreto, rector of the Basilica, said a series of seminars and religious events will mark the yearlong celebration due to end in December 2006, with most events planned for April. Xavier was born on April 7, 1506, in Spain.

Francis Xavier, also called the Apostle to the Indies, is often credited with converting more people to Christianity than anyone else, except St. Paul. From India, he sailed throughout Asia, carrying out his missionary duties.

However, his legacy in India is controversial. Critics say his 1545 letter to John III, the king of Portugal, led to the establishment of the Goa Inquisition in 1560, eight years after his death. During the two centuries of the Inquisition, non–Christians were victimized. (AP)