Vatican delegation views relics of Saint Francis Xavier in Goa, India

MUMBAI, India – A delegation of nine representatives from the Vatican participated in the ten-yearly exposition of the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier in Old Goa in India.

The delegation included Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, Coadjutor Archpriest of the Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome; Monsignor Javier Domingo Fernández González, Chief of Protocol of the Holy See; Bishop Flaviano Rami Al-Kabalan, Apostolic Visitor for the Syrian Catholic Faithful in Europe; and Dr. Melania Iermieri, Assistant for Apostolic Journeys.

Every decade, the relics of the Jesuit saint are exposed in the Indian state of Goa – this year’s exposition will end on Jan. 5, 2025, and is organized by the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.

The representatives from the Vatican dedicated time to explore the museum and participate in a mass, in addition to engaging in various other events throughout their visit.

Francis Xavier died in China in 1552, but his body was taken to Goa the next year. The Jesuit saint was the chief missionary of Asia, preaching Christianity in what is now India, and also China and Japan.

“To love God is to love others,” said Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

Parra conveyed Pope Francis’s blessings, emphasizing India’s place in the pope’s heart and stressing the importance of communication among communities to foster unity.

Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, asked Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai to urge the Government of India to invite Pope Francis to visit the country.

“I think the visit of the Holy Father will gladden our hearts and I know that Pope Francis is longing to visit India so that all of us can have joy of having the visit of Pope Francis,” Ferrao said

At the event, Pillai had praised Christian schools for their significant impact on local education.

“Serving the people means serving God. God will not forget the work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them,” the governor added.

Parra said that in this moment of the world, it is “necessary to reinforce dialogue and invest in communication amongst us.”

The archbishop added government authorities and the Church must make efforts to talk to each other and that is the best way to bring the people and the country together.

Talking about his visit to the Exposition of the relics of St Francis Xavier, the Parra said he felt touched with the experience of how the government is working together with the church to hold the event.

An estimated eight million people are expected to see the relics of St Francis Xavier this year.

“People are working very hard and together with the church,” the archbishop said.