PANJIM: The Church in Goa has sent out a clear unequivocal message that it will most certainly play her part in guiding her members (the Catholics of Goa), in “the process of electing the right kind of individuals to the local and national government”.
In his address, at the annual civic reception on the occasion of Christmas, Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, in the presence of the Governor, the Union Defence Minister, the Chief Minister and his Deputy, the Leader of the Opposition, the South Goa MP, and a host of MLAs and some ministers, touched two raw nerves of the ruling political dispensation – education and mining-related corruption. And he said enough to leave no grey areas.
“The Church takes upon herself, all in the name of genuine service to human beings and to the land, the task of guiding her members. Elections to the Legislative Assembly of the State are approaching and the Church Leadership in Goa will take up once again this duty-bound task,” he said.
In an address, which was poignant with messages which will assume immense significance in the run-up to the elections, the Archbishop, actually minced very few words in speaking a few unpleasant truths to power, stating “please accept them in the spirit with which they have been shared, the spirit of friendship, openness and frank collaboration that has brought us together this evening”.
On education, the Archbishop referring to the proposed draft National Education policy – 2016, lamented that the Church as a major stakeholder was not taken into confidence. This echoes the uneasy relationship the Church in Goa has had with the ruling party with regards to freezing a legislation governing the release of grants for English primary schools, run by the Archdiocese as well as other schools (See box).
It was also important that he chose, among all other issues in Goa, the Goa mining case (famously referred to as 435/1,the WP number of the case which led to stringent directives passed by the Apex Court, towards mining governance in Goa). He highlighted, the “inter-generational equity, which the Supreme Court of India has made into a law to be followed in the Goa mining case that it heard in 2012-14”.
“We are trustees of our land holdings. It is our solemn duty to ensure that the value of the land is passed on to our children and future generations”, he said, as realisation dawned on the audience about the impact of these words, on the political battlefield.
But he went even further when he linked environmental damage to corruption and the weakening of governance. “What we see is an extensive environmental and social damage to Goa, which has generated rampant corruption and even weakened governance”, a telling indictment on the governance of Goa, by none other than the Archbishop. The weight of his words will be felt and will only increase over time. They mean that environmental damage to Goa is not an isolated process but linked to rampant corruption as a result of, or having led to, weakened governance.
And finally there is a third message which spoke of how the Church and the community were sought to be isolated. “There are elements today who accuse the Church in India of engaging in proselytization and conversions. Our charitable works are looked upon with suspicion and as an allurement for conversion. The Church has often been accused of being of foreign origin, although it has gifted the nation with some of the finest high-ranking defence and administrative personnel, who have defended our country and served it with exemplary patriotism and dedication. Our institutions have been attacked, robbed, burnt down and the perpetrators of these crimes often go scot free. It is almost as if the tiny three percent is posing a serious threat for the disintegration of the whole nation.”
It is this feeling of isolation which will not augur well for the ruling party which rode to power due to the confidence of the Church.
Meanwhile, it is perhaps for the first time that the Church has spoken about its direct role in the process of voting for the next elections, in such a clear manner. And in the context of the observations made by the Archbishop, this role will become vital. And this is what Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao said, “We do issue guidelines to our faithful on how to exercise their franchise and thus fulfill one of their sacred civic duties; these guidelines are read out in our churches, but they never mention the name of any candidate or political party. The people are sovereign. They decide. And our faithful are requested to pray and to vote according to their conscience. In fact, Catholics in Goa have already begun praying every Sunday, that the right kind of candidates may be elected to power in the forthcoming elections. If, as a result of the Church’s advisory, some party comes to power, it does not follow that the party was canvassed for by the Church.”
At the same time, he said that the Church would continue to back initiatives taken by the government of the day “to sincerely promote the genuine development of this state”.
