PANJIM: A taken aback Archdiocese of Goa and Daman preferred not to respond to the very direct allegation made against its social arm CSJP (without taking its name) by TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai Wednesday on Twitter.
Senior priests kept mum on the issue, though they did point out that Sardesai had without confirming it said that on Good Friday announcements had been made in Churches to attend an anti-PDA meeting, which they said was not true.
Sardesai in a tweet and statement on Wednesday morning said, “I have high regards for the Church. Expect it to mediate to facilitate dialogue to ensure planned development of #Goa! Feels bad when one of its heavily politicised organ opts for confrontation!” The last sentence was a clear reference to the Council for Social Justice and Peace.
Replying to another tweet on this he said, “Church as an institution should facilitate dialogue and discussion on what we as #Goemkars want for our #Goem and not only repeat what we don’t want! Let’s us together take #Goa forward with a positive mindset.”
A day earlier a video had gone around on social media listing various causes that the Church had taken up over the years, but had tweaked the narrative to portray the Archdiocese in a negative manner.
For instance it had said that the Church had opposed Konkani, though the Church – in this case the Diocesan Society of Education – had backed parents who had sought grants for English medium primary schools. Similarly the video had said that the Church has opposed the Mopa airport though GFDO which has been at the forefront of the battle to retain Dabolim is neither a Church organ nor has been backed by the Church.
Responsible clerics who otherwise speak for the Church on issues, have this time kept silent, only saying, “Yesterday (Tuesday) it was the video, today (Wednesday) it is this tweet, tomorrow it may be something else. I don’t think we should react to everything.”
The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman has often in the past waded into controversy when it has taken up issues. It has burnt its fingers doing so, though always walked away still standing as a voice of conscience of the people. This time too it has adopted a wait-and-watch policy, prepared to see what turn the issue takes before reacting.
However, when Sardesai states that the ‘Church as an institution should facilitate dialogue and discussion’, all one needs to do is go back a few months to recall what Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao had said during his address at the annual Christmas reception.
“All of us here are people with a heavy social responsibility on our shoulders: the government, to begin with, the public authorities and the Church. The people look up to us for orientation, guidance and good governance. And we owe it to the people. They must know that we mean what we say when we tell them that we are with them and for them. Can we create such a space of trust and truthfulness, beginning right here?”
Exactly four months later it appears that that ‘space of trust’ is lacking and needs to be created now, even more urgently.
