The Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the Modern World, named “Gaudium et Spes”, opens with the solemn statement: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor and in any way afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (GS1), and affirms the active involvement of the Church in the betterment of the world through its commitment to the welfare of the human society through various initiatives and works by which the Church carries forward her Mission in the World.
Pope Paul VI gave more impetus to this new vision through his encyclical – ‘Populorum Progressio’ (Development of the Peoples) where he says: “Laymen (and women) should take up as their own proper task the renewal of temporal order. It belongs to the laypersons, without waiting passively for orders and directives, to take initiative freely and infuse a Christian Spirit into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the community in which they live.”
Gone are the times when the Church was regarded as an instrument of “saving souls” and therefore it engaged itself mainly in spiritual matters. But even in those times the Church has worked not only “in saving souls” but in the gradual transformation of society as abolition of slavery by preaching equality of all the children of God, educational institutions and healthcare, etc.
From ‘Rerum Novarum’ (Of New Things) of Leo XIII to ‘Populorum Progressio’ of Paul VI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) of Benedict XVI and ‘Laudato Si’ of Pope Francis, there is an array of Church documents which constitute a veritable treasure about the social teachings of the Church and its involvement in the world of today. One should not think that the involvement of the Church in the secular sphere is against the Gospel; on the contrary it is a constituent dimension of the Catholic Faith.
Rev. Fr. Austen Ivereigh SJ, in his widely acclaimed book “Faithful Citizens”, speaks abundantly about this dimension of the involvement of the Church in the society and focuses more specifically about the engagement of London Citizens in getting justice, equality and peace with regard to the organisation of various communities, especially the migrants in the country.
Time and again the Church in Goa has been misunderstood for its involvement in development issues of the State, mostly by those who have not understood fully the role of the Church in the modern world. Even during colonial rule the Church in Goa has contributed immensely towards the shaping of Goan society, through its parochial schools, fighting against alcoholism, opening its financial institutions (the first banks) for the welfare of the people in general by giving loans for various purposes, etc. For centuries, the Church bells have rendered yeoman service to all signalling the time for the working people in the absence of wrist-watches. Thus the church in Goa has a long history of involvement in development matters of Goa and nobody can deny her the right to work for the truth, justice and peace in our society.
After the colonial rule was over, her first involvement was in the issue of pollution caused by Zuari Agrochemicals Ltd and simultaneous Ramponnkar issue, when some of her priests together with other protesters had even been arrested for fighting to attain justice to the suffering people.
Next came the fight against the moral depravity portrayed in the commercialisation of the Carnival. It was because of the Church’s timely intervention that Carnival has become a little sober today.
The bold pronouncements of the then Archbishop Raul N. Gonsalves against the exploitation of the people by the Tourism industry combined with drugs, sex and alcohol are still fresh in our memory. What he had foreseen at that time has become a reality in Goa today. From its reputation of “Rome of the East”, Goa has turned itself into a great “Bitch of the East”, where many Indian and other tourists flock for drugs, sex and alcohol, and others have become sellers of these commodities.
The following decades, the Church in Goa continued its involvement for the betterment of Goan society, fighting against Nylon 66, Meta Strips and SEZ’s as well as Realignment of the Konkan Railway Route, and recently against the destructive Regional Plan 2021. The Archbishop Patriarch Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, wisely advised the civic Authorities at the Christmas reception 2006 to “listen to the people”. That was not politics but a sound advice. People’s demonstrations led to the fall of the then government and a new dispensation came up to power which was forced to keep the Regional Plan in abeyance. And now the present dispensation wants to resurrect the discarded Regional Plan and convert Goa into a concrete jungle?
It is a paradox of sorts that people’s democratic rights guaranteed by the Constitution are to be enjoyed by the people only through recourse to courts, protests and demonstrations. How long will Goans continue to fight?
Did all our politicians forget that Goa has always been an “Oasis of Peace” in the sub-continent and that “Communal Harmony” is its hallmark and had its unique and distinct self-governance through the centuries?
A true government works on the universally accepted principle of “subsidiary”, where peoples, groups, institutions govern themselves and where “minimum governance” is exercised by the government.
Real governance emerges from the grass-root self-governance. When this principle is forgotten all problems arise. Was not this type of governance prevailing in Goa for centuries? Why was it abandoned after 1962? Was it done to suppress Goem, Goenkar and Goenkarponn, once and for all?
Instead of thrusting “models of development” on Goan people, let the Government listen to the people. Let the people decide what type of development they want. People know what is best for them. Respecting this voice of the People is true Democracy. The Voice of the People is the Voice of God!
