‘SFX is Goan’:How Portuguese surrendered saint too

The relics of Saint Francis Xavier draw devotees and tourists from all over India and the world, not only during the decennial Expositions but throughout the year.

But what if the venerated relics were taken away to Portugal? The translocation was ordered by Portuguese prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar as Goa was in sight of Liberation.

Barely 12 hours before the Portuguese surrendered on Dec 19, 1961, the last Portuguese governor general of Goa and commander in chief of the Portuguese armed forces in India, Manuel Antonio Vassalo e Silva was in a reflective mood.

“Saint Francis belonged to these people (Goans) who accepted, followed, and venerated him. It was because of his activity as a preacher in this region that Saint Francis Xavier was given his nickname, Apostle of the Indies or Apostle of the East,” Vassalo e Silva is reported to have said, as recorded by J Filipe Monteiro in “Change of Guard” by Ralph de Sousa.

The record shows Vassalo e Silva adding, “Francis Xavier, by birth was not even Portuguese. He was Spanish. But Saint Francis Xavier is a Goan. And here he should stay. In his land. In the land that made him holy.”

Vassalo e Silva’s convictions made him ignore Salazar’s order despite the prospects of a court martial, Vasco Pinho writes in “Snapshots of Indo-Portuguese History-II”.

The rector of Basilica of Bom Jesus, Fr Patricio Fernandes, contends that the obedience to the order would have left a void. “I suppose things wouldn’t have been the same. Because the relics are here, there’s a kind of presence and an aura,” Fernandes told TOI.

“Throughout the year, thousands come here to see the relics and Basilica of Bom Jesus is a must-see for every person who comes to Goa,” he said.

The convener of the current Exposition committee, Fr Henry Falcao, said, “Saint Francis Xavier is part and parcel of the life of every Goan and he is a model of the Catholic faith for us.”

But Vassalo e Silva did channel his own faith in 1961 by hurriedly holding an Exposition, looking for a miracle for Goa as Indian troops readied for the Liberation.

The Exposition was held from Dec 13, 1961, with entry reserved for Portuguese officials — military and civil — praying to keep their colonial holding, Delio Mendonca writes in “Saint Francis Xavier in India”.
Although scheduled to last until Dec 31, Mendonca writes, the Exposition was ended when the Indian Army entered Goa on Dec 18.
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