There is a way in which Catholics could do politics different from others. A Catholic politics would be premised on the recognition of not just the natural, but the supernatural as well. It would recognize the presence not just of time and limited lifetimes, but the existence of eternity. Finally, it would recognize the existence of God, and His saints, living in eternity, and God presiding over all time as the just judge who does, and who will, call all things to account.
Such a response is particularly necessary after the recent insults directed at St. Francis Xavier by a hired influencer. The response to these insults hurled against Goa’s patron saint have ranged from the popular – the howl of protests against the disrespect to the informal sovereign of Goa; the legal – the police complaints and the subsequent judicial process; the social – the heartwarming reassurance that St. Francis Xavier is dear to the hearts of not just Catholics in Goa, but Hindus, Muslims and others too. Surprisingly, it was a religious, a properly Catholic, response that was lacking amidst all the din.
But there is a response waiting to be articulated! First, a Catholic response will begin from the assertion that St. Francis Xavier is not dead but alive, and in heaven. In fact, it is because he is alive in heaven that we could have the miracle of his incorrupt remains in the first place. The freshness of his body, even months, years, and decades after death, was – and must be – understood as testament to the fact that Francis Xavier (as he was then) was most certainly a saint in heaven.
If he is alive, and in heaven, then it makes sense that the first response ought to have been an apology to him, and to the God whom he so faithfully served. Now, since one can hardly expect the unrepentant perpetrator of the foul language to apologize, it stands to reason that this apology should be extended by someone else.
Catholicism is rich in its response to sin and recognizes that reparation for sin can be offered by one for another. As such, when the perpetrator is unwilling to make reparation for offence given, the same reparation can be made by others on his behalf. This reparation is best done by pilgrims through a penitential pilgrimage to the space where St. Francis Xavier – the sovereign of Goa – rests.
A couple of years ago, at the time of the exposition of 2024-25, I made the acquaintance of a non-Goan, non-Christian, family that was hawking medicinal herbs and camping on the side of the road for the period. In one of our conversations, the matriarch of the family indicated that she wished to pass the New Year in Old Goa, in “the durbar of the saint.”
I was struck by the Sufi imagery she drew upon. One normally refers to the tomb, or dargah, of the Sufi holy men as their darbars. It is from this throne that they preside as Nizams, or governors, of Allah. In his important work, The Sufis of Bijapur, 1300–1700: Social Roles of Sufis in Medieval India, first published way back in 1978, the famous historian Richard Eaton pointed out that the Sultans of Bijapur claimed sovereignty over their territory, not through the exertion of military power alone, but by offering homage to various Sufi pirs. Each pir was understood to exercise sovereignty over a particular territory, and in offering service to this pir, the Sultan claimed political sovereignty over this spiritual jurisdiction. One could be struck by the similarity between this Sufi logic and that of the Portuguese Estado da India, but then, we should not be surprised; the Estado did not exist in a vacuum; it was very much a South Asian institution.
Using this lady’s imagery, it is to the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the court of Saint Francis Xavier that this penitential pilgrimage ought to travel, and reaching there prostrate before the saint to formally make apology to him for the besmirching his fair name and the staining of his honour.
This pilgrimage would consist of, and indeed be open to, not just of Catholics, but all those Goan, and non-Goan, Catholic and non-Catholic, devotees of Saint Francis who have been offended by the remarks against him. Of course, the pluralism contained in such a pluri-creedal pilgrimage would only underscore the fact that the word catholic, literally means "universal" or "all-inclusive"!
Such a pilgrimage would necessarily conclude with a Mass of reparation. The Mass, as we know, is a re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary, where the Son offered Himself as reparation for the sins of mankind. What we need to remember is that the offense given to St. Francis Xavier was not given to him alone, but to the God who has made him one of His holy ones and permitted St. Xavier’s body to defy the laws of nature for a time. As such, it is finally to Him that reparation must be made and apology given. The Mass is the perfect prayer, and this is what we must offer God who has so crudely been offended.
The organization of such a pilgrimage would underscore to Saint Francis Xavier, and the God whom he serves, that his people (Goan, non-Goan, Catholic, non-Catholic) continue to hold him in high regard. More importantly, they would underscore before all the sovereigns and princes of this world, that it is at his shrine alone, a place where heaven and earth meet, where this contentious matter will truly be resolved.
If Catholics, and other devotees of the saint, can understand these logics, then they would know that they are able to do Catholic politics, and not simply the politics of the secular liberalism. To engage in Catholic politics is not to displace the secular liberal State. This entity has a crucial role to play in dispensing secular justice, and it must play its role. However, the religious person knows that if the fullness of justice is to be realized, the justice of the world must also be supplemented by divine justice. It is to this end that Catholic politics is eventually directed, supplementing the natural, with the supernatural to give completeness to our actions.
There are many in Goa, Catholic and non-Catholic, who are concerned that the uniqueness of our territory, where all lived in harmony, and more importantly love, is under threat. We must bear in mind that this bonhomie is the result of the blessings of St. Francis Xavier, and we need to turn to him, for in this time of assault, he is our sure defense.
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us!
(A version of this text was first published in the O Heraldo on 13 May 2026.)
(Image reference: "The Corpus Christi Procession" Arcadi Mas i Fondevila, 1887, Museu Maricel de Sitges.)
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