Alexandra Barbera

Professor Martino

The Developing World

10/19/2016

The Mission Analysis

A mission can be defined as a group of people or a person sent by a church to carry out

religious work such as preaching and conversion, as often establishing a more civilized

community usually in a foreign land. In the 1986 film, set in the 1750s, written by Robert Bolt

and directed by Roland Joffe, The Mission, the Spanish Jesuits establish missions with the South

American tribes in order to establish a better community as well as a form of religion. Not only

was this happening as colonization was occurring in the 1750s, but this form of missionary work

is still occurring today. Today, many of these missions take place in third world countries in an

attempt to make life more sustainable as well as helping to establish hope and faith.

Prior to watching the film, The Mission, there were feelings that the missionary enterprise

to make Christians out of these people was not a good thing. I felt as if they were pushing their

religion on people for the churches benefit or to spread and convert people to their religion so

that the church itself would gain power. I also viewed it as very closed minded with the concept

in mind that it was almost as if the original religion, or lack of religion, was not good enough for

the outsiders. After carefully watching the film as well as reading the articles, my viewpoint

changed. The movie explained and showed religion through the Jesuits as an opportunity for the

groups of natives to become more civilized and self sufficient. The Jesuits did not push their

religion onto the people, but rather helped them to strive while showing them the beauty and

hope of religion. They taught them much more than the Christian views of God but rather a new
and better type of living that did not destroy the already established culture. The article from

America Magazine also showed me that within missionary work, the people going out, such as

Ruggieri and Vialignano, took the time to learn the culture as well as immerse themselves in the

culture of those while looking at the ways religion would fit in to their culture (Clarke, p.2). This

movie and the articles, changed my perspective on missionary enterprise in the way that the work

is not centered around the idea of religion but rather the improvement of their lifestyle while

keeping the culture alive and incorporating some religious views.

In the beginning of the film, there was a scene in which the natives, Guaranis, threw a

Jesuit priest over a waterfall tied to a cross. Another Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel, decided to

scale the waterfall and played a clarinet like instrument to signal that he was a peaceful man. The

natives prepared to kill him like the other priest; however, took his approach into consideration

and eventually welcomed him. This might suggest that the previous priest that tried to

communicate with them did so in a way that the natives felt threatened. This aspect of showing

either appreciation for their culture, or peaceful approach lead to a more willingness to consider

Father Gabriels objective. Like Father Gabriel, Michele Ruggieri had a rather simple approach.

Since missionaries were not welcomed into China by the Ming dynasty, Ruggieri came to China

to study their culture and learn their language, and then once establishing some ground with local

officials, he began working to employ one of his goals: to show the Chinese Christianity and

Catholicism (Clarke, p.2). The Jesuits, in both the film and in the article by Jeremy Clark both

take an initiative to immerse themselves within the culture, including living and the language, to

win trust and then slowly show the inhabitants, either the natives or the Chinese, Christ.

In the film, Rodrigo Mendoza, a man of sin, carried a sack of armor following Father

Gabriel to the mission in hopes of becoming a better man and converting himself to a Jesuit. The
Guaranis, the natives, welcomed them, including cutting off and releasing the bundle that

Mendoza was carrying. This scene made me realize that instead of exiling the new man, that the

religion, even though newly introduced, allowed the peoples to become immediately more

friendly and welcoming instead of close minded or stand-offish to outsiders. This shows that the

natives started adapting some of the Jesuit ideals including welcoming outsiders.

In one scene, a Spanish colonizer, Don Cabeza, said that the Jesuits are much too

powerful up there, referring to the mission above the waterfall with the Guaranis. This is

somewhat surprising in the aspect that a governmental figure felt threatened by the missionary

work of a church. One would think that the government would be satisfied with strides of the

natives becoming more welcoming and civilized. In some ways, this is not surprising because in

such a time where leaders fought for power, it makes sense that the more powerful leaders would

want to demolish anything that threatened their power. For example, in the America Magazine

article, Religion and Diplomacy by John Kerry, he states that religion is an influential role in

every region of the world and on nearly every issue... (Kerry, p.1) This shows how much

religion plays a role in government. In the film, there is the idea of greed that the Spanish and

Portuguese had for their land in the sense that they did not care who already inhabited the land,

they were going to take it because they wanted it. An example of this sense of power over the

natives is when the Spanish and the Portuguese viceroys stated that the natives should be

subdued by the sword, along with the assessment that the Guaranis were animals who lacked

any spiritual dimension necessary to receive salvation. Within this, the Spanish and the

Portuguese are being close minded by only having their personal power goals in mind. They are

ignorant to the fact that the natives lived on the land before they decided to colonize it. In

addition, the Spanish and Portuguese ignored the attempts and successes that the Jesuits had in
converting the natives to Christianity. The feeling of power was what the Spanish and

Portuguese wanted to accomplish, and they did not care if they had to shed blood to get it.

Another portion that I felt was surprising was the result after Cardinal Altamirano came

to see the missions and how the Jesuits taught the natives a religion as well as other skills. He

saw their accomplishments and homes and how happy the people living there were. He saw the

organized church and the people actively participating and seemed moved and in awe of the

whole experience. This becomes surprising when he tells the people to leave the mission. He saw

all the good being done, but still chose to tell them to leave. This suggests that he might have

been in conflict whether to agree with the rest of the Spanish and Portuguese in fear that the

Church was gaining too much power as well as enslaving the natives or to be in favor of the

mission and almost betray the governments ideas while keeping the natives in free territory.

This again shows the ignorance the Spanish and Portuguese has toward the natives and their land

as well as their own selfishness with power. The ultimate destruction of the missions was of

various reasons including the treaty signed causing land disagreements, as well as the assumption

that the Church was gaining too much power; however, the greed and power aspect alongside the

pride of the colonists was what destroyed the mission. Cardinal Altamirano was the one who was

the deciding factor on whether the natives were to stay or leave. He came and saw the workings

and accomplishments of the natives and was moved by the experience; however, still felt that the

natives were to move. This shows that no matter how big the accomplishments were, the gaining

power of the Church in those areas were large enough to impose a threat.

The instalment of Christianity into the natives lives was evident in the battle scene.

Father Gabriel formed a choir in front of the church and they sang as the bullets hailed down on

them. Mendoza chose to fight along side the men who chose to protect their land rather than
sticking to the Jesuit aspect of peace and faith. The others did not fight but just walked and sang

with Father Gabriel holding the Bible and the Cross as their only protection. This shows that

Father Gabriel chose to stick to the ideals that the Jesuits believe in, while Mendoza was more of

a man of reality and coming from his past, chose to fight in order to protect the mission. Both

men wanted to protect the natives and the land, but just took alternate plans of actions. Neither

men did the wrong thing; however, coming from a strictly Jesuit standpoint, Father Gabriel chose

the right plan of action. This scene poses an example on how far the Jesuit lifestyle of peace and

faith had been installed within the natives.

This film provides insight for happenings in todays world in the realization that not all

countries are established and that there is still missionary work being done. Churches are still

going to third world countries and helping them as well as introducing them to religion, if not

already implemented. Dominant, more powerful countries still have control over the fate of

smaller, underdeveloped areas, as shown in both the movie and today. Countries or villages are

still fighting over land, political, or religious beliefs. Most of everything a country does is shaped

by the religious beliefs (Kerry, p. 1). For example, in the United States, John Kerry announced

the creation of the Office of Religion and Global Affairs (Kerry, p.2). This office looks at

anything that has a religious aspect to it as well as working with other religious officials in other

countries on aspects such as foreign policy related to religion (Kerry, p.2). The office also takes

the peaceful approach into religion of others, much like Father Gabriel did with the natives in the

sense that the office approaches issues and religion with a critical and sophisticated analytical

lens, (Kerry, p.3). Religious aspects can be incorporated into any major decision as well as

influencing outcomes of decisions and actions of a country.

 Overall, religion is a main component in any civilization and help shape the views and

actions of people all over the world. The Mission is a film based on accurate events shows an

example of missionary acts in third world countries, or native lands, as well as the discrimination

and power that bigger countries have on the smaller underdeveloped areas.
 Works Cited

Religion and Diplomacy: Toward a Better Understanding of Religion and Global Affairs.

John Kerry. American Magazine. 14 September 2015

The Mission. Perf. Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons. Columbia-Cannon-Warner. 1986.

When West Met East: Matteo Riccis Cross-Cultural Mission to China. Jeremy Clark.

American Magazine. 10 May 2010