The Life of St. Francis Gil de Federich: New Interrogatories and His Prison Ministry (7/11)

by Rev. M. B. Cothonay, O.P., 1911

In January, 1738, the last lunar month of the year, according to the mode of reckoning in Tonkin, during which it was customary to end all lawsuits begun within the twelve months preceding, the Blessed Gil had every reason to believe that he was nearing the object of his desires and that he would soon have the happiness of shedding his blood for his faith. Such was, however, not according to the designs of Our Lord. The whole month passed without their taking any action regarding him either because the preliminaries of his case were not completed or by reason of an embassy extraordinary from the Emperor of China which arrived at that time.

The conditions, therefore, remained unchanged. His health was stronger and he began to instruct and baptize, to hear confessions with almost the same facility as a missionary at liberty. In August or September of that year a native priest came to say Holy Mass in the house of Rose Gao at which he assisted and received Holy Communion for the first time during his captivity. Growing bolder, he requested his superior to send him the ornaments and other necessaries to enable him to say mass himself. By this means he was able to offer the Holy Sacrifice on the 6th of October, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, a happiness from this time which, enjoyed almost daily, enabled him to give Holy Communion to many Christians.

That same year though he was cited twice to appear before the tribunal, he was not interrogated. The judges, however, pronounced sentence which they based upon the preceding interrogatories. The arrest of the Blessed Gil by Phu Don was approved, and he was condemned to be beheaded. At the same time Thay-Tinh and his son whom the mandarin had represented as protectors of the Christians, were condemned to take care of the elephants of the Chua for six years, one of the most degrading punishments inflicted in Tonkin.

The bonze's protests were all in vain. They did not believe him. This sentence which is dated the 10^th of July, 1738, was signed by the king on the 12^th of the following September. On the 6^th of November his name was inscribed in the register by the tribunal and the order for his execution was sent on the 22^nd of the same month.

In the meantime Master Tinh, furious at his condemnation and the more so by reason of the charge of his being a protector of the Christians when he was their bitter enemy, appealed from the decision of the court. It was, however, confirmed in the following terms: “Let Cu-Te, Father Gil, be beheaded, and let the bonze Tinh and his son labor in the elephants' stables; the former because he is a teacher of the Christian religion, the two others because they received and entertained him in their house.” The bonze found means to make a second appeal and finally succeeded in having the proof admitted that he did not deserve to be condemned as a Christian. All this litigation was the cause of endless delay. Our Blessed Gil who had seen with something like envy two criminals who had been sentenced on the same day as himself being led to execution, really suffered at being thus deprived of his crown. He wrote sorrowfully to his superior: “I did not deserve to obtain that which my pride had dared to presume, for Our Lord is very greatly offended by my sins and my ingratitude.”

The year 1739 came. Thanks to the generosity of the Christians which secured for him a certain amount of liberty, he was able to continue his ministry. At the provincial chapter of that year held at Manila in April, the Fathers announced to the Province that it had the honor of possessing a confessor of the faith awaiting in prison the moment when he would shed his blood for Jesus Christ. “They had learned,” they said, “by the letter of a Jesuit Father that their dearly beloved Brother Gil de Federich had been condemned to death in the month of August preceding.”

On the 20^th of July he was cited to appear before the court of justice. While going and returning he had as usual much to suffer both morally and physically. Not only did the children throw little crosses at him to insult his religion, but one of the judges so far forgot his dignity as to do the same. He formed a cross of two tip-cats (sticks) and threw it at the feet of the servant of God who picked it up, kissed it piously, separated the cross sticks and returned them to the judge, whereupon the latter was vexed and uttered a threat against the prisoner.

The presiding officer of the court placed him in front of master Tinh and the three Christians from Luc Thuy-Ha and put to him the following questions: The Judge: “By what right did you go to the house of Thay-Tinh? Where were you before going to that house?” Father Gil. “I came to this country four years ago. Two of these years I have spent in prison, the other two in going about from place to place preaching the holy Christian law. As to specifying where these places are, I do not wish to do so.” The Judge, irritably: “Admit that what you said last year is true.” Father Gil: “What I said then is said; but I now refuse to speak on that subject.” The Judge, furious: “You are an impostor. You were then telling lies and you will not now repeat them.” Father Gil: “It is not for that; but I was not under obligation to make known what I then told.”

At this point the bonze, seeing that his case was not taking the turn that he wished, interrupted the mandarin and asked to be permitted to speak, which was granted. He then gave a summary of all that the Blessed Gil had said the year before. He dilated at length on the capture of the missionary which he had himself accomplished most emphatically not to favor the Christians whom he hated, but in order to deliver this foreigner to Phu Don. He had kept him ten days in his house for that purpose only. The holy martyr did not deny these assertions which were true; but, knowing that the court wished to punish those who had showed him hospitality at Luc-Thuy Ha, spoke as follows: “Last year I said only the truth; but I was not obliged to say that Tinh had taken me at Luc-Thuy Ha. Now I will not make any further explanation on this point because these questions of the court are aimed only at the punishment of our hosts and the reward of the one who took me prisoner, which is unreasonable and unjust.” The Judge then said in an angry tone: “Will it also be contrary to justice to cut off your head?” Father Gil replied: “Undoubtedly; but if you order me to be beheaded for my faith, I will endure it willingly.”

The Judge then declared with solemnity that if the prisoner should persist in refusing to reply categorically to the questions of the court, he would order that thirty blows with a club should be given to him on the knees. This was a frightful punishment made use of generally to extort from an accused prisoner whatever they wished him to tell. Father Gil replied that he would willingly suffer this punishment rather than to speak further on the subject. The Judge seemed to admire this determined resolution. He directed a court attendant to trace the figure of a cross on the ground. Then he ordered all the prisoners at the bar to trample upon it. Blessed Gil indignantly protested, whereupon he was carried by force and held over the sign of our salvation. In spite of blows he kept his feet suspended in the air as long as they persisted in doing this violence. The judge hurled the most terrible threats at him, but all in vain. Thay Tinh, delighted by this opportunity of showing that he was not a protector of the Christians began to dance madly upon the cross. Then he informed the Judge that the Father had in his prison several religious articles which he requested him to have brought to court that he, Tinh, might trample them under foot and insult them in fine style. The judge after having given orders that they should be produced on the following day, dismissed the court.

Two days later, on the 22^nd of July, he was again summoned. On his arrival at the court of justice, he found there the holy images, his books and his sacred ornaments which had been seized on the denunciation of the impious bonze. They opened the sitting with an attempt to force from him the admissions which he had been unwilling to make at the previous sitting of the court; but when they saw that he could not be shaken in his resolution, they did not insist. The Judge then questioned him concerning the images and other objects there present, especially about a brass crucifix. Blessed Gil replied: “It is the image of Jesus Christ the Son of God who became man and died on the cross to redeem men from sin.” The judge added: “What is this other one here?” “It is,” said Father Gil, “the image of the Mother of God who bore this crucified Lord.” “And where do men go after death?” said the Judge. Father Gil: “The dead body remains in the ground, but the soul ascends to heaven or descends to hell, according to the merits or demerits of each individual in this life.” The Judge: “What you say of the soul is pure fiction. Who has said that things will pass away in that manner?” Father Gil: “God has said it.” The Judge: “Indeed! and did you hear God saying it? Father Gil: “Though I did not hear him saying it, it is none the less certain that he taught this.”

During this interrogatory a court attendant whose name was Ta-Vu brought into the court room a heavy club which he deposited at the feet of the servant of God. Thinking that they were about to inflict the punishment threatened at the former sitting, Father Gil began to prepare his knees for the horrible punishment. The judge told him that the club was not to be used as an instrument of torture. “I command you to take it,” said he, “to strike these religious images of yours with it, and destroy them completely.” On hearing this infamous order, the confessor of the faith, inflamed with a holy indignation seized the club and hurled it with all his strength to a great distance. The mandarins were so dumfounded by this audacious act that they stared in open-mouthed wonder and, strange to say, they made no attempt to punish him. An attendant went in search of the club and having found it placed it very near to Thay-Tinh who eagerly grasped it and made it plain that he would ask nothing better than to carry out the order given. Triumphantly brandishing the club he was in the act of preparing to vent his rage upon a beautiful ivory statue of Our Lady of the Rosary when Father Gil, seeing his intention, shielded with his hand the head of the Infant Jesus and that of His Mother and said to the bonze: “Strike my hand.” Seeing this the Judges began to laugh and said: “These Christians are deluded by their statues.”

The impious Tinh called upon the court officers to come and remove the prisoner's hand from the statue. But he kept it so firmly fixed to the statue that the first who came was quite powerless to remove it. The second was equally unsuccessful, and it was only when they combined all their strength that they finally overcame his desperate firmness. Then it was that the despicable bonze was able without opposition and with satanic fury to break into pieces the blessed statue, while the servant of God groaned and wept at his own impotence. Thay-Tinh wished also to tear in pieces a picture of the Most Blessed Virgin painted on paper. Father Gil, however, had time to snatch it from him, kiss it and conceal it in his bosom and they left it to him.

The Judges intervened to restore peace and gave orders that the Father should be left undisturbed saying: “The statue must have felt great pain from these blows.” Blessed Gil made answer. “The Most Blessed Virgin and her Son are in a place where they can suffer neither pain nor sorrow. If we honor their images it is to remind us of them and to do them homage.” This ended the sitting. The Confessor of Jesus Christ was led back to prison where a still greater trial awaited him.

A jailer impelled by sordid avarice informed the missionary that he ought to supply a certain sum of money to pay the court attendants who escorted him to and from the judgment-seat. A certain man who had heard of this attempt at extortion told Father Gil that one-third of the sum would be more than sufficient and that the jailer wished to keep the other two-thirds for himself. Father Gil acted upon this advice, whereupon the avaricious jailer in a fit of rage had him put in fetters and swore that whosoever should bring him anything to eat would receive the same punishment. For three days no one dared to bring aid to the poor prisoner. God, however, came to his assistance in another way as he himself relates. It happened that a charitable pagan woman distributed to all the prisoners generous supplies of cooked rice and meat. He received an abundant share which was sufficient to meet his necessities for three days when the jailer relaxed in his severity. Father Gil then began to doubt whether this cruel treatment was caused simply by the avarice of the man or by an order of the court of justice in punishment for his having refused to answer.

The exhaustion following these sittings of the court, and the brutal treatment of the jailer brought on a fever and dysentery so acute that all who were about him believed that his last hour had come. His superior when informed of this, sent Minh, a priest of Tonkin, to give him the last sacraments. Before his arrival, however, Father Gil had made his confession to a native priest. To the great astonishment of all, he began to grow better and was soon restored to health. Then it was that he wrote a memorial concerning all that had taken place since his arrest. The officials of the court of justice did not come to any agreement to put an end to this triple lawsuit. All were agreed that the missionary should be condemned to death; but there were endless discussions as to what was to be done to the three Christians of Luc-Thuy and to the bonze. The King named an additional judge as a referee by whose decision they were to be guided. Tri-Lai was the judge selected, and Blessed Gil tells us that he was a peaceable man and well disposed toward the Christians.

On the 20^th of September he appeared again Coram tyranno, before the tyrant, as he said, and the judge put to him the following questions: “How many years have you spent in this kingdom? Were you taken upon your arrival? Have you preached the faith?” Father Gil: “I have spent four years in Tonkin. I preached the faith for two years.” The Judge: “Is it true that you were ten days in the house of the bonze?” Father Gil: “I travelled from place to place preaching the faith, ten days here, fifteen days there. I was in the house of the bonze but ten days.” The Judge: “Since the faith is prohibited by the King, why have you come to Tonkin?” Father Gil: “The King has no such right, for kings have not an infinite power to give orders according to their whims.” The Judge: “Are you learned in astronomy?” Father Gil: “No.”

After this interrogatory the missionary was told to withdraw, and the discussion was resumed. A mandarin, Tri-Do by name, and a strong defender of Thay Tinh, having come in unexpectedly, Father Gil was recalled while Tri-Do repeated the tedious questions which he had already answered so frequently. This mandarin then said to him in a bantering tone: “The favorable month for going to heaven has come.” Father Gil calmly replied that every month was favorable for that journey. Then in a serious tone Tri-Do requested him to state whether it was true or not that he had remained only ten days in the house of Thay-Tinh and that he had taught him the faith. He answered that he would not say another word on the subject of his arrest, for he saw clearly that they wished to make him say that he had been taken at Luc-Thuy, which would condemn the Christians and acquit the bonze. Father Gil requested Tri-Do to set the Christians of Luc-Thuy at liberty. This, however, was useless for that declared enemy of the faith preferred to have his friend the bonze remain thus under sentence in order to bring about the condemnation of the Christians.

Before Father Gil had absolutely refused to answer, Judge Tri-Lai requested him to put his signature to the written record of his own evidence, but when he saw that the secretary had written down that the accused was “a teacher of the false law,” he firmly refused to sign the record unless they would blot out this insulting phrase. The mandarins consulted for a long time and finally substituted the words: “Portuguese religion contrary to law.” With this amendment, Father Gil consented to sign the document. He was led back to prison where for two long years he heard nothing more of his trial.

This apparent forgetfulness of the servant of God's case was due to the civil war which broke out in the four corners of Tonkin. The condition of affairs had compelled all the priests to leave Hanoi, so that Blessed Gil was the only one remaining to provide for the spiritual needs of the Christians. During these two years he was able without much difficulty to perform this ministry, thanks to the money which the Christians gave in large sums to the jailers who permitted him to be absent from the prison for whole days and nights. They even authorized him to go to a considerable distance in the country for several days in succession. Towards the end of 1741 he forwarded the report of the sacraments that he had administered from the time of his arrest. We read, with astonishment that he was able during this time to hear 3767 confessions, to baptize 122 persons, both children and adults, and to administer extreme unction to 88 sick persons.