Francis Xavier: The Apostle of the East, The Goa Inquisition, and the Severed Arm
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Show Notes
In this episode of pplpod, we traverse the globe to examine the life of Francis Xavier (1506–1552), the Navarrese noble who co-founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) alongside Ignatius of Loyola. Join us as we track his journey from a student athlete in Paris to becoming the "Apostle of the Indies" and the first Jesuit missionary to enter Japan.
We explore Xavier’s complex legacy, including:
• The Mission: His accidental recruitment into missionary life and his massive evangelization efforts across India, Indonesia, and Japan.
• Cultural Adaptation: How he shifted tactics from ringing bells for children in Goa to dressing in fine silk robes to impress Japanese daimyos.
• Controversy: The darker side of his correspondence, specifically his 1546 letter to King John III of Portugal proposing the establishment of the Goa Inquisition.
• The Aftermath: His lonely death on an island off the coast of China and the bizarre, centuries-long journey of his "incorrupt" body—which was buried in lime, exhumed, and eventually dismembered to send relic parts around the world.
Tune in to learn how a man who once viewed Ignatius of Loyola as a "joke" became the patron saint of Catholic missions and one of the most prolific missionaries since the Apostle Paul.