Almost 50 years ago, Gene Pelc came to Japan as a kind of missionary-but not in the service of the church, but for Spider-Man. The now 81-year-old New York was sent to Japan by the legendary Marvel publisher Stan Lee to adapt Spider-Man comics and television programs for the Japanese audience.
From superhero to holiness
After his professional success with Marvel, Pelc turned to Catholic faith and regularly visited the Holy Mass in the Franciscan Center of Tokyo. There, a Franciscan encouraged him to combine his love for comics with faith and to design a religiously shaped comic book.
Pelc convinced Stan Lee to approve several religious comics for Marvel – including Francis: Brother of the Universe In 1980. He was also involved in the production of a comic book about the life of Pope John Paul II, of which over one million copies were widespread worldwide.
New book about martyr Japan
Today, decades later, Pelc is once again devoting himself to a project of faith. Condemned: The Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan is a self -published historical novel that describes the execution of the first 26 Catholic martyrs of Japan in 1597 in a dramatic form.
The Catholic Church in Japan had grown quickly after St. Franz Xaver’s arrival in 1549. But with the increasing repression against Christians – starting with the crucifixion of the 26 martyrs – faith was pushed into the underground for more than two centuries.
These martyrs, led by St. Paul Miki, are celebrated worldwide in the Catholic Church on February 6th. Your certificate is still a symbol of the steadfast belief of Christians in Japan in the face of cruel persecution.
In the footsteps of the persecution of Christians
“When I came to Japan, I noticed how few Christians there are here. That concerned me: why is that?” Said Pelc. According to the CIA World Factbook From 2021, only about 1.1 percent of Japanese are committed to Christianity. Shintoism and Buddhism dominate around 48 percent each.
Pelc’s research led him to the so -called “Christian Century” of Japan, starting with the mission of St. Franz Xaver. Hundreds of thousands could be baptized within a short time. But in 1587 Toyotomi banned Hideyoshi, the then ruler, Christianity – followed by hard persecution.
Keep memory awake
While Pelc preserves the memory of the martyrs in a literary form, Father Renzo de Luca SJ as director of the museum of the 26 martyrs in Nagasaki does this. The Argentine Jesuit has lived in Japan since 1985 – motivated by his spiritual companion, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the later Pope Francis.
Despite centuries -old oppression, a small community kept “hidden Christians” – in Japanese kakure kirishitan – firmly in faith. It was only with the return of French missionaries in the 19th century that Christianity in Japan was officially approved again.
“The more you deal with the story, the clearer how many people gave their lives for faith – how much they loved the Japanese people,” said Father de Luca.
Translated and edited from the original of our partner newspaper National Catholic Register.
