ARCHBISHOP OF GOA SAYS CHURCH READY TO PROMOTE DIGNITY OF MAN

PANJIM: Assuring that the Church in Goa will only be too glad to offer its collaboration in the building of a society that sincerely and genuinely promotes the dignity of the human being, religious freedom and cultural harmony as well as peace and justice for everyone.

The Archbishop Patriarch of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Ferrão on Wednesday said that the country and the state presently faces threat to the minority communities, even though minorities do not represent a threat to the identity of the majority but rather form an opportunity for dialogue and mutual cultural enrichment.

Delivering an address at the annual civic reception on the occasion of Christmas held at the Archbishop’s House, the Archbishop said that the growing number of communal riots and pogroms, mostly politically motivated, is only one aspect of this sad deterioration of cherished human and democratic values.

The Governor, Dr S S Sidhu, the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, Ms Asha Kamat, the leader of the opposition, Mr Manohar Parrikar and Archbishop Emeritus Raul Gonsalves were present at the annual civic reception.

Speaking further, the Archbishop said that right from the United Nations Organisation to various parliaments, legislative assemblies, municipal corporations and village councils like our panchayats, there are vast opportunities for people to sit at a common table and discuss matters of common interest, which work for the common welfare of the human community. “All this is nothing but a profound expression of the deep-seated human longing for unity, a longing that was placed in the heart of man by God himself, a longing that, as I said before, was made his own by Jesus Christ,” he added, bemoaning “Unfortunately, these very structures of participation run the risk of being seen as and effectively becoming tools in the hands of a few to wield their power over the community of nations and of national and state communities, instead of being genuine community empowering instruments.”

“They then become institutions that ignore and silence the minorities, and invest power and legitimacy on a few who dictate terms of governance, sometimes to the point of unsettling the very process of participation,” the Archbishop lamented, pointing out that we have had such cases even in our country, which prides to be the largest democracy in the world.

“I am deeply aware that both, in our country and in our own state, so famous for its communal harmony, meetings and even large conventions take place sometimes with the sole aim of disturbing the inter-religious peace and harmony existing amidst our citizens,” the Archbishop observed, further noting, “It is as if some people will not be at peace until peace is disturbed.” “Can we, responsible citizens and particularly those entrusted with governance, allow that such programmes are executed in blatant defiance to the spirit of our Constitution,” he questioned.

Speaking about the festival of Christmas, the Archbishop said that Christmas has been increasingly taking on a cultural and social dimension that surpasses even religious barriers, as we find people of various social and religious affiliations taking part in Christmas shopping. “Christmas, however, can never be a purely cultural or social event as it is fundamentally a Christ-related event, as its very name suggests: an event which has marked profoundly the course of our human history and has brought about a growing realisation of the need to promote the oneness of humankind.” “Indeed, the genuine development of people depends on this important recognition: that the human race is a single family working together in true communion for its common good,” he maintained.

Earlier, the dignitaries lighted a lamp to mark the occasion. Fr Loyola Pereira welcomed, while Noel Barreto read out a passage from the Holy Bible. A dance performance accompanied by a bhajan was presented on the occasion. The evening also witnessed a skit, ‘Christmas in April and Everyday’ and Christmas Carols presented by Santa Cecilia Choir from Rachol Seminary. Ms Crystal Lobo compered.