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It was “Saint” Francis Xavier who ordered the horrific Inquisition in Goa. He made the request to the King of Portugal on May 16, 1545 from Amboina (Moluccas). He asked for permission to begin the Inquisition & more preachers to carry out conversion activities.
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The essential focus of the Inquisition was to punish those who were charged with heresy against Christianity. If they confessed, their punishment was not too harsh. If they refused to confess, they were tortured until officials heard a confession or the victim died.
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The Manual of Regulations of the Inquisition was the original guide book for the Inquisitors of the Goa Tribunal to carry out the confession & torture . The Inquisition of Hindus & other Indians in Goa is documented to be far more cruel than what had happened in Europe.
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The first recommended method of torture for Indians was the Polé (pulley). The victim had their hands tied behind their back. A rope would be tied to the wrists and passed over a pulley. As the accused was pulled off of the ground, they were hanging from their arms.
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Variations of the Polé included using weights strapped to the limbs to cause more resistance and pain. The inverted and extended shoulders would separate from their sockets. At times, sharply jerking the hanging victim would cause the shoulders to break.
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Even in its kindest form, the Polé would separate the shoulders and cause agonizing pain to the victim. Permanent nerve, ligament, tendon damage & death were all possible effects. Elaborate methods to extend the pain were described.
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The next recommended method was water torture of Potro, designed to make the victim feel as if they were drowning by being forced to lay on their back & strapped to a board. Ankles, wrists, arms, and legs were secured to the board to prevent the accused from thrashing around.
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Once secured, a rag or some type of cloth would be inserted into the mouth. Water would then be poured into the victim’s mouth to make the person feel like they were drowning. This technique was repeated, for days, until the victim confessed.
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As the torture increased in frequency breathing would become harder. At first, the victim was given enough time to catch their breath after the water torture. If no confession came, the length of water pouring would increase while the breaks for breath would decrease.
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Often the victim would lose consciousness from lungs filling with water. Death was a distinct possibility. This was such a horrific torture that it was not advised for women, but it was upto the discretion of the Tribunal & many times women too had to suffer this torture.
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Traditional methods like stretching the victim’s body on a Rack were also used. The victim’s tendons & ligaments were stretched till they snapped loudly. When stretched out too much, their muscles would lose the ability to contract & victims would be paralyzed for life.
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A Wheel was used similarly as a rack where the victim was stretched & beaten. The spaces between the spokes would allow bones to break upon contact with a club or other device. Once the torture was finished, the victim would be removed from the wheel before death.
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Other techniques such as thumb screws, leg crushers, & nail beds were also used. Victims were strapped to the torture device & have boiling oil poured on their legs, burning sulphur dropped on their bodies & lighted candles held beneath their armpits.
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Hindu women were particular targets during the Goan Inquisition. The Inquisitors at the Goa Tribunal imprisoned beautiful women who had refused to be molested by them. They were raped, tortured with the famous breast rippers & finally burnt at the stake as heretics.
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Such was the legacy of "kindness, peace & love" unleashed by the Inquisition ordered by Saint Francis Xavier upon the Hindu victims of Goa. It was one of the most cruel accounts of forced conversion, torture & terror ever imposed on innocent victims by Christian missionaries.
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References:
The Goa Inquistion - Anant Kakba Priolkar
A Life of Saint Francis Xavier - M.T. Kelly
The Life of St. Francis Xavier - From the Italian of D. Bartoli & J.P. Maffei
Images - History Collection - Torture devices of the Inquistion
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