NAVARRA, Spain (LifeSiteNews) — The Jesuit-run Castle of Javier hosted a three-day “Yoga Congress” that brought together more than 250 participants for meditation, mantra concerts, and Eastern spiritual practices.
From May 1 to May 3, the XII Iberian Yoga Congress took place at the Castle of Javier in Navarra, the birthplace of St. Francis Xavier and a spiritual center administered by the Jesuits. The event was organized by the Spanish Satsanga Yoga Federation (FEYS) and gathered participants from Spain and Portugal for conferences, workshops, yoga sessions, meditations, and activities connected to Eastern and New Age spirituality.
Organizers stated on social media that the congress was held under the theme “Yoga, an invocation of Peace.” The organizers described the gathering as an effort to cultivate “unity in diversity” and to “promote peace through yoga and meditation practices.”
InfoVaticana reported on May 9 that photographs distributed by the organizers showed participants meditating before representations of Jesus Christ displayed alongside images of Buddha and Krishna, one of the most venerated deities of the Hindu polytheistic system. The description provided by InfoVaticana is confirmed by an image published as a Facebook post on May 4, where one can indeed see an ostensibly Buddhist monk meditating before such an image.
Soma Satrustegi, identified by InfoVaticana as the founder of FEYS, said the selection of the Castle of Javier was intentional. He described the site as “the ideal setting for a congress that seeks to transcend borders and traditions.”
The Castle of Javier is one of the best-known Catholic pilgrimage sites in Navarra because it is associated with St. Francis Xavier, the sixteenth-century Jesuit missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. The complex currently functions both as a sanctuary and a center for retreats and spiritual activities.
Luis Santamaría del Río, a researcher affiliated with the Red Iberoamericana de Estudio de las Sectas—an organization focused on the study of sects and religious movements—told InfoVaticana that the gathering at Javier had “an evident spiritual character, and certainly not a Christian one.” He added that such practices “should not be interpreted merely as physical or cultural activities.”
The report further stated that similar events have been hosted recently at other Catholic properties in Spain, such as monasteries, retreat houses, and spiritual centers. These included the Marist monastery of Las Avellanas in Lérida, the Franciscan sanctuary of Aránzazu in Guipúzcoa, and the Teresian-Sanjuanist International Center in Ávila, which is linked to the Discalced Carmelites.
One of the incidents referenced by InfoVaticana concerned a yoga congress held at Las Avellanas in 2007. Promotional material for that event showed a woman practicing yoga in front of a tabernacle that appeared to contain the Blessed Sacrament, as can be seen in an article published by the Spanish outlet El Debate.
The congress at Javier took place amid a broader decline in religious life in Spain. Religious communities across the country have continued to close monasteries and convents because of aging members and declining vocations. Estimates cited in Spanish Catholic media indicate that between eight and 10 convents are closing each month.