Rodolfo Acquaviva


Blessed Rodolfo Acquaviva, was an Italian Jesuit missionary and priest in India who served the court of Akbar the Great from 1580 to 1583. He was martyred in 1583 and beatified in 1893.

Family

Rodolfo Acquaviva was the son of Giangirolamo Acquaviva, 10th Duke of Atri. He was the great-grandson of Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, condottiere and man of letters. Rodolfo belonged to a powerful and illustrious family of Germanic origin settled in the Kingdom of Naples since the twelfth century. His mother was Marguerite Pio; on his mother's side he was a cousin of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

Priesthood

In April 1658, inspired by the example of his uncle Claudio Acquaviva who later became the 5th General of the Jesuits, he too joined the Society of Jesus. He became a novice at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale in Rome together with Stanislas Kostka. After completing his studies Acquaviva was chosen by his superiors for the prestigious and challenging Indian missions, begun by Francis Xavier in the Portuguese territory of Goa. He then travelled to Lisbon, starting point for the voyage east. There he was ordained a priest and sailed for India in 1578.

At Akbar's Court

At first he taught at Saint Paul's College, Goa but was then assigned as the leader of a mission to the court of the Grand Mughal Akbar who had requested missionaries be sent. In his new palace in Fatehpur Sikri Akbar built the Ibadat Khana where he invited leaders of the Muslim, Hindu and other religions to debate points of religious truth, including Acquaviva and his companion Jesuit António de Monserrate, and their young translator, Francisco Henriques, who spoke Persian. Akbar was interested in founding a new pantheistic religion with elements from different traditions and his new faith was called Din-i-Ilahi.
Although Acquaviva came equipped with the Bible translated into many different languages, and was the object of Akbar's sympathetic personal attention, the Jesuit felt his efforts were fruitless, one obstacle being the ruler's repugnance to monogamy, and after three years, decided to withdraw, though other Jesuits maintained the mission at the courts of the Mughal Emperors and in Agra for the next two centuries.

Martyrdom

Upon his return to Goa as part of his missionary commitments he led a mission to the Hindu Kshatriyas of Salcette, south of Goa. This was seen as a provocation by the local community some of whose temples had already been destroyed by Jesuits and Portuguese troops. It incited the Cuncolim Revolt of July, 1583. Acquaviva was murdered opening his collar to the scimitar of his assassin and calling to God.

Beatification

He and his four Jesuit companions were beatified by pope Leo XIII in 1893. He is commemorated with others by the Jesuits under the title "Martyrs of the Missions" on Feb 4.