Dr Xavier Baró, lecturer at the UIC Barcelona Faculty of Humanities, participated as a member of the scientific committee in the “500 Years of the Pacific Ocean” congress, organised by Abad Oliba CEU University, the Spanish Association of Pacific Studies and the CEU Elcano International Chair - First Round-the-World Tour, in collaboration with the Institute of History and Naval Culture and Casa Asia.

Baró also gave a talk titled “Capuchins in Caroline Islands: Evangelisation, Politics and Culture”, in which he explained how the Capuchin mission occurred in the Caroline and Palau Islands at the end of the 19th century and the impact it had on the Capuchin evangelist practices and main cultural contributions (dictionaries, grammar, devotional works) written by the Capuchins in Spanish and Kanaka.

The congress explored, from a multidisciplinary and international perspective, the significance of the arrival of Ferdinand Magallanes’ and Juan Sebastian Elcano’s ships at the Mariana Islands and the Philippines half a century ago.