Feb 2005 (CWR) - More than 2.5 million pilgrims from all across India and abroad had filed past the remains of St. Francis Xavier when the 16th decennial exposition of the 452-year-old body of the great saint concluded on January 2 at the Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa, a former colony on the west coast of India.
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa led the solemn ceremony closing the 43-day exposition of the mortal remains of the saint who died in 1552. When it was over, the glass casket containing his body was returned to its regular place at the side altar of the Bom Jesus Cathedral. Several Indian bishops, hundreds of priests, and thousands of lay Catholics attended the closing ceremony, as the body of St. Francis Xavier, still preserved after more than 400 years, was brought back to the Bom Jesus cathedral in a solemn procession from the Se cathedral, just across the road, where it had been exposed for public viewing and veneration since November 21.
“This is really amazing. We really . . .
