St. Francis Xavier’s Church in Goa, India, closes to guided tours

(21 July 2006) : The administrator of the basilica which houses the remains of St. Francis Xavier in the 15^th century Bom Jesus Basilica in India’s south western state of Goa, has cancelled guided tours there, in an effort to protect the atmosphere of sanctity. The rector of the Basilica, Fr. Savio Barreto said that as the tourists go about and the guides shout, the church looks like a bazaar. May devotees questioned him whether it was the house of God, Fr. Baretto said.
The spokesman of the Archidiocese of Goa and Damao, Fr. Loila Pereira said that the ban has been well accepted by the people. The decision to exclude the guides was important, because this year we are celebrating the 500th year since the birth of the saint, ‘Patron of Missions’ and known as the 'Apostle of Asia.' It was essential to restore the sanctity of the places dearest to him and that an atmosphere of reverence prevails in the house of God," he said. Goa, capital of the Portuguese empire in the East Indies, was the place where St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) arrived and the starting point of his work of evangelization of India and the Far East.