While preaching his homily in his Baptist congregation Church in his home State at Montgomery in USA, the late civil rightist Martin Luther King told the Whites who as per the local preferential treatment for the Whites seated on the benches kept at right side and the Blacks at left side, that "if you cannot integrate with the Blacks then you will never integrate with Christ because Christ is come from the masses as Blacks". Then Martin Luther went further and said, discrimination in the Church and in the Church area is against the Christ’s teachings and as such it is an anti-Christian act.
Since time immemorial Goa Church has been practicing discrimination in the Churches and even in the Church compound just as it was done in the USA. Salcette was more notorious in practicing apartheid policy in the Churches and this apartheid was practiced on the basis of caste system. Unfortunately, according to me there was not a single priest in the history of Goa like Martin Luther King who forcefully fought against this Goan apartheid in Goa Churches.
When such a dirty practice was going on in our Churches, to my surprise I cannot imagine how both the Goan holy priests Fr. Agnelo and Fr. Jose Vaz failed to raise their voices as Martin Luther did against this Church promoted apartheid. Martin Luther felt the pinch of the apartheid because he was a Black and this pinch forced him to fight against apartheid. Similarly, both the Goan saintly priests were non-Brahmins and being so they must have felt the pinch of Goan apartheid more and inspite of this their silence on this speaks very low of them.
Recently, the Church authority below my nose has issued a circular indicating preferential treatment in the Church Parking area for the personal vehicles of the village Sarpanch, his Deputy, local MLA and even ex-MLA's. Minutely observing this circular one can easily notice there the Church promoted apartheid. Why such a preferential treatment even for the ex-MLA's who for being corrupt were rejected by the voters? This apartheid should be stopped by the order of the Bishop because such discriminations do not suit in Christianity. Abraham Lincoln called such discriminations as Church inflicted barbarity. It is a shame for all those politicians receiving the preferential treatment to accept the same as if they are feudal lords when during their electioneering they preached equality for all just as Priests do in the name of Christianity. Both are corrupt - politicians as well as priests. These politicians by not identifying themselves with the common people are expecting Maharaja's treatment. In the next election common people must teach these artificial Maharajas a very good lesson.
Giving preferential treatment to the politicians is like giving such treatment to the rogues who suck the blood of the people and in this exercise some local Pe. Vigars playing a leading role is a matter of shame. During the last general election for Goa Legislative Assembly the Goa Church advised the Catholics to reject the corrupt politicians and now some Pe. Vigars from the same Goa Church are doling the corrupt politicians with preferential treatment as the Pe. Vigar does below my nose. I would not be surprise gradually to see the same Pe. Vigar reserving special seats to these politicians in front of the Altar to celebrate the Holy Mass and special burial spots in the Cemetery. What good and equality one can expect from the Pe. Vigar who himself is guilty of practicing discriminatory policies on the basis of caste system within his own family circle? I hope Goa Bishop at Altinho Panjim will take note of this and take corrective steps now only before things go out of the way.
According to my latest observation, many of the village Panchayats headed by their Sarpanches are bribe prone and unless they take the bribe they do not approve any of your plans. The bribe money then the Sarpanches distribute to all the Panchas supporting them on descending order, highest share to the Sarpanchas and the lowest to the Panchayat Peons. One of the major shares of this loot also goes to the local Pe. Vigars and because of this the local Pe. Vigars in many localities are closing their eyes to the loot systematically conducted by our Panchayats manned by the Catholics. This is the main reason for many of our Pe. Vigars to own Limousines and other luxuries from the doles they receive by giving preferential treatment to the corrupt politicians not only in the Churches but also in the Church compounds. This preferential treatment sometimes goes not only to the corrupt politicians but also to their domestic servants, dogs and cats as well.
Now it is clear how the local politicians erect their financial empires within a short time. When they start their political career in their localities they start as beggars but within a short period after looting the locals thru extortions and by demanding bribes they become rich and on top of it they don't even feel shy to move in society with their head high. Normally such politicians belong to the "Rostad" family background having no shame for committing illicit acts. And on top of it they go to the Church and pretending to be saintly receiving holy communion also. And because priests are party to their loot they close their eyes otherwise some Pe. Vigars bark from the Altars if anyone breaches any commandment.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.Tel: 7507394349.