Journal of Jesuit Studies 8 (2021) 195-213 New Christians, Converted Hindus, Jesuits, and the Inquisition José Eduardo Franco Open University of Portugal, Department of Social Sciences and Management, Lisbon, Portugal
[email protected] Célia Tavares State University of Rio de Janeiro, Department of Human Sciences, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
[email protected] Abstract This paper analyses the complex relationship between Jesuits, New Christians, converted Hindus, and the Inquisition. The collaboration of Jesuits with the Holy Office did not prevent voices from being raised within the Society of Jesus against the tribunal’s practices, which were observed with caution by the first Jesuit leaders. For their part, conversos were initially welcomed into the Society and even assumed high positions in the Society, such as the second superior general. Despite the difficult history of intolerance and inquisitorial persecution against New Christians, in the seventeenth century, Jesuits in Portugal became prominent advocates of their cause. In turn, Hindu conversion strategies fueled disputes and tensions between the Society of Jesus and the Inquisition of Goa. Their strained relations make these disputes an important historiographical subject for understanding many of the plots and dramas of Portuguese society under the Old Regime. Keywords Inquisition – conversos – Hindus – Jesuits – Portugal – Goa © José Eduardo Franco and Célia Tavares, 2021 | doi:10.1163/22141332-0802P003 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailingDownloaded cc-by-nc-nd from Brill.com09/29/20214.0 license. 02:34:18AM via free access 196 franco and tavares Preliminary Considerations When studying the tense relations that existed between two institutions within the Catholic Church—the Inquisition and the Society of Jesus—one should bear in mind that the latter was established while coming under fire from the former.