Charles Lasrado

Rome, Dec 9: Paul Rolphy Pinto brilliantly defended his thesis “Francis Xavier: A Bhakta? - A Comparative Study of Bhakti in the ‘Letters’ of Francis Xavier and in the Bhakti ‘Padas’ of Narsinh Mehta” at the prestigious Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome recently. His research was lauded as of high quality and he was awarded doctorate with distinction (Summa cum Laude). He did his research under the guidance of renowned scholar Prof Anton Witwer .

His field of research is relevant and significant in the multi-religious context of India. The two mystics viz., Narsinh Mehta (1414-1480) of Gujarat, India and Francis Xavier (1506-1552) of Navarra, Spain were deeply in love with the Transcendent. The love relationship between human being and God is bhakti. The study of bhakti in Mehta and Xavier is interreligious by nature as the former belongs to the Hindu and the latter to the Christian tradition. The primary objective of the research is to define the person and spirituality of Xavier in Indian terms in order to make his spiritual journey more easily accessible to the large majority of Christians of Gujarat who come from a Hindu tradition.

Dr Rolphy Pinto is a Jesuit Priest, belonging to Gujarat Jesuit Province. He hails from St Paul’s Parish, Sangameshwar Pet (Chikmagalur Diocese). He is an alumnus of Poorna Prajna High School - Sangameshwar Pet, St Aloysius College - Mangalore and St Xavier’s College - Ahmedabad.

Rolphy is the ‘benjamin’ of the twelve children of the late Philomena Pinto and the late Francis Pinto of Sangameshwar Pet. He is the youngest brother of Sr Margareena, Fr Felix (Bagdogra Diocese), Fr Stany (Gujarat Jesuit Province), Mathew, Evely, Nobby, Celine, Molly, Nellie, Jilly and late Urban.

Rolphy is well versed in Spanish, Italian and English, apart from the several Indian languages. He won the hearts of the crowded lecture hall for his childlike simplicity and academic brilliance in understanding the Jesuit saint Francis Xavier and the Indian Bhakti tradition. He is expected to return to the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome as an assistant professor of Spirituality.
 
It was indeed a proud moment for Margareena, Felix, Stany, Mathew, Evely, Nobby, Celine, Molly, Nellie and Jilly when their youngest brother obtained highest academic degree that too with a distiction.