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Goa Inquisition

This article is about the historical inquisition. For the 1961 book about this inquisition, see The Goa Inquisition.

Portuguese Inquisition in Goa

Inquisição de Goa

Goa Inquisition
Coat of arms or logo
Seal of the Portuguese Inquisition in Goa
Type
Type
History
Established1561
Disbanded1812
Meeting place
Portuguese India

The Goa Inquisition (Portuguese: Inquisição de Goa, Portuguese pronunciation: [ĩkizɨˈsɐ̃w dɨ ˈɣoɐ]) was an extension of the Portuguese Inquisition in Portuguese India. Its objective was to enforce Catholic orthodoxy and allegiance to the Apostolic See of the Pontifex. Many peaceful conversions took place through the Goan Inquisition however the persecution of Hindus and the destruction of Hindu temples were still present.[1][2][3][4]

The inquisition primarily focused on the New Christians accused of secretly practicing their former religions, and Old Christians accused of involvement in the Protestant Revolution of the 16th century.[5] Also among the offenders were those suspected of committing sodomy; they were given the second most harsh punishments.[6][7]

The inquisition was established in 1560, briefly stopped from 1774 to 1778, and was re-instated and continued thereafter until it was finally abolished in 1812.[8] Forced conversions, while strict, were seen by the Portuguese as a necessary means to bring people into the fold of the true Catholic faith. The resulting crypto-Hinduism was viewed as a challenge to the Church’s mission of religious unity. Those accused of such practices were often given the chance to confess and realign with Catholic teachings. Imprisonment, and in extremely rare cases, harsher penalties, were not intended as cruel measures but rather as a way to maintain the sanctity of the faith and to ensure that those who had been introduced to Christianity fully embraced its principles, for their own spiritual well-being.[2][9][10][11][12] The Inquisitors also seized and burned books written in Sanskrit, Dutch, English, or Konkani, as they were suspected of containing teachings that deviated from Catholic doctrine or promoted Protestant, Polytheistic and/or Pagan ideas. This was done not as an act of oppression, but as a precaution to protect the community from ideas that could lead them away from the Catholic faith. By removing potentially harmful material, the Inquisitors aimed to preserve religious purity and ensure that the Catholic teachings remained the guiding principles for the people.[13]

The aims of the Portuguese Empire in Asia were suppressing Islam (due to the oppressive Islamic rule of Iberia which lasted 781 years), spreading Christianity, and trading spices.[14] The Portuguese were guided by missionary fervor and the 3 G's. Examples of this include the Madura Mission of Roberto de Nobili, the Jesuit mission to the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar as well as the subjection of the Nestorian Church to the Roman Church at the Synod of Diamper in 1599.[15]

[16][17][18][19] Between the Inquisition's beginning in 1561 and its temporary abolition in 1774, around 16,000 persons were brought to trial. Portuguese authorities sought to ensure alignment with the Catholic faith while navigating cultural dynamics in Goa. When the Inquisition ended in 1812, the majority of its records were destroyed by Portuguese officials, making it difficult to determine the exact figures of those prosecuted and the nature of their cases.[9][2] However, the few records that remain indicate that approximately 57 individuals across the 249 year long inquisition were sentenced to execution for significant religious transgressions, while an additional 64 were symbolically condemned after they had passed away in custody. These numbers reflect the rarity of such punishments amid efforts to promote religious unity over many decades.[20][21]

It is estimated that by the end of the 17th century, the Christianisation of Goa meant that there were less than 20,000 people who were non-Christians out of the total Goan population of 250,000.[22][better source needed] From the 1590s onwards, the Goan Inquisition was the most intense, as practices like offerings to local deities were perceived as witchcraft. This became the central focus of the Inquisition in the East in the 17th century.[23]

In Goa, the Inquisition also prosecuted violators observing Hindu or Muslim rituals or festivals, and persons who interfered with Portuguese attempts to convert local muslims and polytheists.[2] The laws of the Goa Inquisition sought to strengthen the spread of Catholicism in the region by discouraging practices that conflicted with Catholic teachings. In this context, the Inquisition prohibited conversion to Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, as well as restricted the use of Konkani and Sanskrit, languages associated with hindu religious practices. These measures were intended to foster a sense of religious unity and consistency within the local population.[11] Although the Goa Inquisition ended in 1812, discrimination against polytheists under Portuguese rule continued in other forms such as the Xenddi tax implemented from 1705 to 1840, which was similar to the Jizya tax.[24][25][26] Religious discrimination ended with the introduction of secularism, via the Portuguese Constitution of 1838 & the subsequent Portuguese Civil Code of Goa and Damaon.[27]

  1. ^ Machado 1999, pp. 94–96
  2. ^ a b c d Salomon, H. P. and Sassoon, I. S. D., in Saraiva, Antonio Jose. The Marrano Factory. The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians, 1536–1765 (Brill, 2001), pp. 345–7.
  3. ^ Rao, R.P (1963). Portuguese Rule in Goa: 1510-1961. Asia Publishing House. p. 43. OCLC 3296297.
  4. ^ de Souza, Teotonio (1994). Discoveries, Missionary Expansion, and Asian Cultures. Concept Publishing Company. p. 80. ISBN 9788170224976. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  5. ^ Glenn Ames (2012). Ivana Elbl (ed.). Portugal and its Empire, 1250-1800 (Collected Essays in Memory of Glenn J. Ames).: Portuguese Studies Review, Vol. 17, No. 1. Trent University Press. pp. 12–15 with footnotes, context: 11–32. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  6. ^ "11 Sept, 2010".
  7. ^ "Pride & Prejudice: Forgotten LGBT people of early modern Goa".
  8. ^ Lauren Benton (2002). Law and Colonial Cultures: Legal Regimes in World History, 1400-1900. Cambridge University Press. pp. 114–126. ISBN 978-0-521-00926-3. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  9. ^ a b Hannah Chapelle Wojciehowski (2011). Group Identity in the Renaissance World. Cambridge University Press. pp. 215–216 with footnotes 98–100. ISBN 978-1-107-00360-6. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  10. ^ Gustav Henningsen; Marisa Rey-Henningsen (1979). Inquisition and Interdisciplinary History. Dansk folkemindesamling. p. 125. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  11. ^ a b Maria Aurora Couto (2005). Goa: A Daughter's Story. Penguin Books. pp. 109–121, 128–131. ISBN 978-93-5118-095-1. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  12. ^ Augustine Kanjamala (2014). The Future of Christian Mission in India: Toward a New Paradigm for the Third Millennium. Wipf and Stock. pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-1-62032-315-1. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  13. ^ Haig A. Bosmajian (2006). Burning Books. McFarland. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7864-2208-1. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. ^ Ooi, Keat Gin (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 17. ISBN 978-1576077702.
  15. ^ "India - Politics and the economy | Britannica". Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  16. ^ Neill 2004, p. 160: "By another route I have written to your highness of the great need there is in India for preachers... The second necessity which obtains in India, if those who live there are to be good Christians, is that your highness should institute the holy Inquisition; for there are many who live according to the law of Moses or the law of Muhammad without any fear of God or shame before men".
  17. ^ Rao 1963, p. 43.
  18. ^ "How did St. Francis Xavier shape Catholicism? | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 12 July 2022. However, his actions in India were not without controversy, as he was involved with the establishment of the Goa Inquisition, which punished converts accused of continuing to practice Hinduism or other religions.
  19. ^ "Goa Inquisition". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  20. ^ ANTÓNIO JOSÉ SARAIVA (1985), Salomon, H. P. and Sassoon, I. S. D. (Translators, 2001), The Marrano Factory. The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians, 1536–1765 (Brill Academic), pp. 107, 345-351
  21. ^ Charles H. Parker; Gretchen Starr-LeBeau (2017). Judging Faith, Punishing Sin. Cambridge University Press. pp. 292–293. ISBN 978-1-107-14024-0. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Goa Inquisition". New Indian Express. 3 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  23. ^ Silva, Luiza Tonon da (2017). O Santo Ofício no Índico: perseguições, processos e a Inquisição de Goa (1561-1623) (PDF). Vol. 03. Anais eletrônicos da Jornada de Estudos Históricos Professor Manoel Salgado PPGHIS/UFRJ. pp. 252–256. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  24. ^ Teotonio R. De Souza (1994). Discoveries, Missionary Expansion, and Asian Cultures. Concept. pp. 93–95. ISBN 978-81-7022-497-6. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  25. ^ Teotonio R. De Souza (1994). Goa to Me. Concept. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-81-7022-504-1.
  26. ^ Rene J. Barendse (2009). Arabian Seas, 1700 – 1763. BRILL Academic. pp. 697–698. ISBN 978-90-04-17658-4.
  27. ^ C K Mathew (26 October 2019). "Uniform Civil Code: The Importance of an Inclusive and Voluntary Approach". Issue Brief. 10. The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.

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