Is it true that the before well preserved mummified body of Saint Francis Xavier who died Saturday 03 December 1552 on the Chinese island Sancian is now deteriorating?

Answer 1

I have heard nothing specific about the body of Francis Xavier. However, it is not unusual for an incorrupt body to begin to deteriorate after it is removed from its original burial location. In the vast majority of cases of incorruptibility, there is no supernatural or miraculous intervention. Certain soil conditions, water composition, relative humidity and ambient temperatures can prevent or slow a body from decomposing. That is why the Church does not use incorruptibility as a factor in the canonization process. Perhaps one of the best known cases of incorruptibility is that of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. When her body was exhumed several years after her death it was found in an almost perfect state of preservation. However, a few years later when it was again exhumed, the body had begun to undergo decomposition. Before the body was placed on display in the current location, it underwent a thorough cleaning and preservation process. The hands and face were badly marred so were covered with wax to make them look more natural and to hide the ravages of time and nature.