Team Herald
PANJIM: Reacting to the turmoil and tension created by an incident in Sonsodo, on the issue of kabrastan, where priests, Fr Maverick Fernandes and Fr Freddy Braganca, were humiliated and asked to leave meeting on the issue, the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman on Saturday has called for communal understanding and peace.
“Goa has always been considered as an oasis of peace. We have always taken pride in the way we have lived in communal harmony. Sadly, in the present times, we see increasing intolerance and even open conflicts drifting us apart. We must reclaim our traditional social relations and once more be the peace-loving sisters and brothers that we always were. Hence, our earnest appeal for communal understanding and peace among the different communities in Goa,” reads a statement issued by Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and signed by Fr Olavo Caiado, Director of the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media.
It says, “About a fortnight ago there was much turmoil and tension created by an incident in Sonsodo, where priests from the Archdiocese of Goa, Fr Fernandes and Fr Braganca, were humiliated and asked to vacate the premises where a crowd had gathered to address the claims for a kabrastan from the Muslim community of Salcete. The organisers of the gathering refused to listen to what Fr Fernandes was saying to them.
“He had gone there to hear and understand the objections the people had to the rightful claims for a kabrastan on land that was allocated to the Muslim community by the Municipality of Margao. His words, spoken with pastoral care and patience, were roundly dismissed with shouting and foul language by the leaders. The leaders also tried to incite the crowd and join them in the irreprehensible behaviour. After many attempts to patiently explain the need for their presence, the priests left the area in the hope that the tensions would die down.”
The statement quotes Pope Francis saying that “an attitude of openness in truth and love must prevail in dialogue with believers of non-Christian religions, leading to peaceful coexistence with them, despite the various obstacles and difficulties, particularly fundamentalism on both sides.” The Pope had said this speaking to members of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
The statement adds, “Further on his return from the Holy Land, the Archbishop of Goa, Most Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, had directed us to publicly state that, following the same line of thought, the Church in Goa would like to reaffirm that the faithful are to work beyond mere co-existence with people of other religious traditions and move towards a more pro-active collaboration with them, particularly in matters that demand mutual respect and understanding. This would imply that we, as a human community, live with and for each other.”
The statement says that Fernandes, who is the President of the Council for Social Justice and Peace, has worked with Muslims and Catholics for nearly ten years and created platforms for dialogue to find mutually acceptable and peaceful solutions when there were any misunderstandings.
“Whenever a kabrastan issue was dealt with, Fr Fernandes insisted on the constitutional right of the Muslims to a burial space, as well as the Government’s obligation to identify an appropriate space and develop it as a burial ground. It has been observed that when there are attempts to purchase land or even find a site for a kabrastan, there are often objections from some sections of the Catholic community, who are opposed to a Muslim cemetery in their village” the statement reads.
It adds, “For the Church, the question of the Kabrastan is also one that touches deeply the dignity of the human person. To bury the dead with the dignity they deserve is a sacred duty that the Catholic Church deems as one of the essential works of mercy. It is the last rite conducted on a person who has passed from this life into eternity. This obliges the Catholic faithful to be respectful of similar duties performed by people of other faiths and therefore not to interfere with their legitimate endeavors in this direction.”
