Goa has witnessed protests as state politician Subhash Velingkar called for DNA testing of Christian saint Francis Xavier’s remains, which are being held in a church. Goa Police announced on Saturday, October 5, 2024, that Velingkar is evading capture and that searches are being carried out in response to the demonstration.
The Goan Christian community claims that Velingkar’s desire for DNA testing on Francis Xavier’s remains has offended them in their religious beliefs. In addition, they claim that Velingkar’s remarks have also ruined communal cohesion. In this context, at least six complaints have been made throughout Goa against former RSS head Velingkar.
On Friday, October 4, at the Bicholim police station in North Goa, an FIR was filed in response to the allegation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Cruz Silva. Velingkar has been charged under Section 299 of the Indian Penal Code (BNS), which prohibits malicious acts to offend religious sentiments by disparaging religion or religious beliefs of any class.
The FIR claims that Velingkar intentionally offended religious feelings when he made a disparaging remark about St. Francis Xavier. According to sources, on Friday, October 4, at night, a police squad went to Velingkar’s house, but he was not there. Remarkably, in 2016, the RSS dismissed Velingkar from the organisation.
On Friday, October 4, 2024, protests calling for Velingkar’s arrest took place throughout the state. Around 300 individuals congregated in front of the Margao police station. Among the demonstrators were numerous Aam Aadmi Party and Congress leaders. Police had to use lathi-charge to disperse the demonstrators.
Protesters stopped roads in Margao, Anjuna, and Old Goa on Saturday, October 5, 2024. The demonstrators threatened to block the Zuari bridge in front of the Goa Police if the accused Velingkar was not taken into custody right away. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant urged the populace to keep the peace and refrain from obstructing traffic in light of the protest.
“Whatever action was taken against Father Bolmax, similar action will be taken against Velingkar as well,” declared Pramod Sawant. The priest of St. Francis Xavier Church in Chicalim, South Goa, Father Bolmax Pereira, was charged with offending religious feelings by disparaging Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj last year.
Parshuram is Goa’s saviour, not Francis Xavier: Velingkar Subhash
Subhash Velingkar had earlier this week insisted on a DNA test being performed on the remains of St. Francis Xavier, the Goan patron saint. According to Velingkar, St. Xavier is not worthy of the title “Goencho Saib” (patron of Goa). He had already made a similar claim in 2022. His assertion was rejected at the time as well.
Velingkar stated in 2022 that St. Francis Xavier was not fit to be referred to as “Goencho Saib.” He had suggested that to raise awareness, a campaign named “The Goa Files” should be started. According to Subhash Velingkar, Parshuram is “Goencho Saib,” not St. Francis Xavier.
The Spanish Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier was born. In 1542, he arrived in Goa. Goa was a Portuguese colony at the time. On Shangchuan Island, off the coast of China’s Guangdong province, he passed away in 1552. His bones are housed in Old Goa’s “Basilica of Bom Jesus.” His remains will be on display in Goa from November 21, 2024, to January 5, 2025.
Complaint filed at the police station.
On Thursday, October 3, 2024, Velingkar went to the Old Goa Police Station and filed a complaint against a few activist groups. “I recently made a statement about the Goa Inquisition, which is an unfortunate chapter in Goa’s history,” the man complained. History mentions St. Francis Xavier’s role in the spread of Christianity, which took place during Portuguese dominion.
“It is crucial to realise that the Goa Inquisition created a reign of terror among many non-Christians,” he continued. I make a comparison between the actual spirit of sainthood and the activities of the Inquisition that propagated terror and hatred. I think it’s time to go back in time, look closely at the deeds of the past, and reflect on what it means to be a saint.
Velingkar went on, “Hospitality cannot be accorded to acts that incited persecution or hatred during the Inquisition or any other historical period.” This statement is meant to draw attention to historical occurrences that have influenced the lives of numerous Goans, not to disparage any religion.
In support of his assertion, Subhash Velingkar also mentioned the aspirations of the Buddhist community. “My remarks speak of written history, not my personal views,” he declared. The call from Buddhists in Sri Lanka and beyond for a DNA test to confirm the identification of St. Francis Xavier’s remains is growing.
What demands do members of the Buddhist community have?
Buddhists have been calling for an inquiry into the bones of St. Francis Xavier in Goa from all over the world, including Sri Lanka. They assert that the bones purportedly belonging to Francis Xavier are those of Rahula Thero, a Buddhist monk. Sri Lankan activist organisation Rahula Thero wrote an open letter to the Indian government and His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country’s president at the time, in 2014.
“We the signatories, as concerned and right-thinking citizens of India and Sri Lanka and the rest of the world, request you to kindly intervene in resolving the long-standing dispute regarding the true identity of a body kept in a glass coffin in a church in Goa, India,” the Buddhist community said in their December 2014 petition.
“There’s a general belief in Sri Lanka, especially among the Buddhist community, that the body in question belongs to Acharya Ven, a highly esteemed literary giant and learned monk from Sri Lanka,” the statement stated. While Catholics have been persuaded to believe that the remains are those of controversial Christian Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who was accused of committing crimes against humanity by instigating the infamous Goa Inquisition, the remains belong to Sri Rahula Thero (1409–91).
The petition went on to state, “We think that testing the descendants of both families’ DNA or blood samples will suitably put an end to the centuries-old arguments and hypotheses. Given that neither Goa nor India are foreign colonies, we demand that the contentious remains be removed from Goa and that the body resting there be returned to France.
According to the petition, India freed Goa in 1961. Indeed, the ancestors of the Konkani Christian victims of the Goa Inquisition—whose name Francis Xavier first proposed—have appealed to the Indian government and launched a national campaign. A sufficient amount of historical evidence and reasoned argument support this. That ought to be looked at as a result.
Journalist W TJS Kaviratne from Sri Lanka also authored a piece about Francis Xavier’s body in February 2014. In this piece, he asserted that some followers in Sri Lanka and Buddhist monks assert that the bones of St. Francis Xavier are those of the Buddhist monk Sri Rahula Thero, who lived in the fifteenth century. But he added that DNA testing is required to validate people’s opinions.
Christians had voiced their opposition to Xavier’s remains being displayed.
The Goan Christian community staged its first-ever protest against the public display of Francis Xavier’s remains in 2014. It is stated that Xavier is a miracle worker and a saint. It was planned that this open display would be the first in the previous five centuries. It was suggested that this take place in Goa between November 22, 2014, and January 4, 2015.
A section of the Christian community had established Konkani Christian Victims of Francis Xavier’s Atrocities at that time. Since they are descended from the victims of Xavier’s atrocities, they had warned of protests against this exhibition. They demanded that Xavier’s remains be returned to his nation of origin. Additionally, they had launched a national petition drive with this request.
According to those claiming to be the victims’ descendants, Goa was free of Portuguese domination for 53 years. Consequently, it would be disrespectful to India to keep Xavier’s body there, and it has to be transferred as quickly as possible to Portugal. The victims intended to file a petition with both the national and Goa governments.
Indian Buddhist organisations support DNA testing as well.
About the ongoing issue surrounding the remains of Buddhist enlighteners Rahul Thero and Francis Xavier, members of the Indian Buddhist community are also in favor of DNA testing. It is said that if a contentious issue can be resolved via scientific research, it will ultimately lead to peace.
Dhamma Dhiru, also known as Prema Phante, a member of the Mahabodhi Temple management committee, informed OpIndia in this regard. Mahabodhi Temple is one of the most well-known Buddhist pilgrimage destinations and is located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. According to him, the Indian Buddhist community also wants to test the bones of Francis Xavier, who is thought to have been kept in Goa.
Rahul Thero was a renowned Buddhist saint, according to Prema Phante, and an inquiry into his remains should be conducted if there is a need for one. According to him, there will be a conversation about this among the nation’s Buddhist organisations, and if necessary, a note addressing this issue will be sent to the President and Prime Minister Modi.
Who is Rahul Thero, the well-known Buddhist saint?
In the literary realm of Sri Lanka, Sri Rahula Thero was a titan. In the years between 1430 and 1440, he penned well-known literary masterpieces like Buddhagajjaya, Vurthamaala Sandesaya, Paravi Sandesaya, Selahini Sandesaya, Kavyasekaraya, Panchika Pradeepaya, Buddhipasdiniya, Gira Sandesaya, Sakasakada, and Mavulu Sandesaya.
On June 9, 1409, Rahula Thero was born, during King Parakramabahu VI’s reign. In 1429, he became a monk. He was then referred to as Vacchishvara. Rahula Thero was a well-known author, skilled astrologer, and knowledgeable in Ayurvedic medicine. She was also fluent in six languages. He is a well-known author of numerous books in all three of these categories as well as spirituality.
King Parakramabahu bestowed the status of Sangaraja upon him, making him the first bhikkhu to do so. In addition, he held the positions of principal and chief incumbent at the well-known school that King Vijayabahu I founded, Vijayaba Pirivena. In 1580 AD, Thom De Souza destroyed Rathapatha Viharaya and Vijayaba Pirivena. Few granite pillars were left standing. Pallattara Thero rebuilt the temple in 1765.
At the age of 82, Sri Rahula Thero passed away on September 27, 1491. When Vijayaba Pirivena passed away, the locals found him and, fearing for his safety, hid his body—complete with growing fingernails and hair—in the Ambana Indurugiri cave close to Elpitiya. According to legend, Rahula Thero ingested Sidhaloka Rasa, a medication that would preserve his physical form till the year 4230.
Before he passed away, this unchangeability of his body was inscribed in a sonnet on a copper sheet. The Portuguese took control of his body and sent it to Goa when they arrived in Sri Lanka. Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary, is rumoured to have been given the responsibility of transporting Rahul Thero’s remains to Goa. Francis Xavier drowned at sea during the voyage, and Rahul Thero’s body was mistaken for Francis Xavier’s.
Preacher on missionary work who is Christian In 1542, St. Francis Xavier travelled to India in a Portuguese convoy. After arriving in India, he propagated Christianity. He belonged to the “Society of Jesus.” We refer to these members of the Society of Jesus as Jesuits.
When St. Francis Xavier arrived in Goa in 1559, over 350 Hindu temples had been closed. Hindus were also prohibited from worshipping idols during this period. Every attempt was made to persuade them to convert from Hinduism to Christianity. St. Xavier realised that his attempts to convert Hindus through force were not entirely effective even after this.
He eventually came to believe that Sanatan Dharma is still true. People construct temples in their homes if he destroys temples. He observed that, given the option between Pheni (cheap booze) and Sanatan Dharma, individuals selected Sanatan Dharma and accepted death even after being stabbed with sharp objects, had their hands and necks severed, and had endured extreme torment.
Xavier, frustrated, labelled Hindus liars and deceivers and referred to them as an impure race in a letter to the King of Rome. He asserted that the oil stench had tarnished and made their idols frightening, unsightly, and black. The harshest phase of Hindu torture began after this. Francis Xavier had complete control over Goa.
Policies based on religion were implemented to oppress Hindus, and anyone who disregarded the supposed divinity of Jesus faced penalties. The historians who documented this event were likewise severely tortured. They were either imprisoned or burned by submerging them in hot oil. Among these authors are Charles Delone, Claudius Buchanan, and Filippo Sasseti, among others.
Hindus were compelled to move and escape on a grand scale for the first time in their history. Along with India, the Malay Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Japan, and China were among the places where St. Francis Xavier preached Christianity. During his lifetime, he is said to have converted at least 30,000 individuals to Christianity.
St. Francis Xavier was a member of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, which frequently held people in slavery. In America, the Jesuits sold native tribes into slavery. At one point, they had almost 20,000 slaves working on fields and other projects. Several times, the keeping and torture of slaves were justified. It was not viewed as antagonistic to Christianity.
