Fr. Michael Fernandes in the centre and Maggy to the right.
Yesterday, 5th March 2016 at 3.00 PM in Panjim at TB Cunha Hall, I attended the meeting organized by Bharat Mukti Morcha to explain to the people what blunder the Archbishop of Goa Felipe Neri Ferrao has made in selling the beautiful Vanxim Island to one non-Christian Mahendra Gaunekar for very cheap price. The area of the land comprising Paddy Fields sold by the Goa Archbishop is 3,00,275 sq. metres at the rate of Rs.6.00 per sq. metre and 1,85,275 square metres of Horticultural lands at the rate of Rs. 20.00 per sq.metre. The deal according to information was initiated in 1990’s when the Bishop House was ruled by the then Archbishop Raul Gonsalves and in 2006 in the month of February the actual deal was finally clicked by the current Archbishop.
Gaunekar then sold this land for 30 crores to a corporate body named Ozone dealing in Real Estate in South India. This company plans to build villas and sell at the rate of 22 crores each, 5 star hotel, helipad, marina and golf course. The Archbishop House also promised the buyer to hand over every house located there where a number of inhabitants are residing thereby uprooting the locals from their ancestral dwelling places.
According to the latest information, the Archbishop has felt the pinch of public ire over this sale and said it seems that “the deal was morally wrong but legally right”. But did not utter a single word of undoing the whole deal. The deal was done in utter secrecy and the locals residing in Vanxim Island came to know of this deal only after 4 years. The locals are now demanding from Archbishop all the correspondence pertaining to this deal, all the correspondence done between Vatican and Archbishop House to obtain permission to sell this land as per the Canon Law and the actual amount paid by the Gaunekar to the Archbishop.
During the Press briefing, Fr. Michael Fernandes the Parish Priest of Batim spoke heavily against the religious gurus who are looting the faithful and Church property adding further that he being a Christian he cannot remain as silent observer to the nonsense the Archbishop has committed. He further said that as per the Gospel of St. Paul he has to raise his voice on this wrong committed by the Archbishop otherwise he himself commits a double sin by keeping silent.
Meantime, to correct the wrong and to bring the Archbishop to his senses and for whom some Catholics started refusing their allegiance, Bharat Mukti Morcha sent a memorandum to the Vatican Mission in New Delhi citing all the misdeeds of the Archbishop of Goa, Filipe Neri Ferrao.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.Tel:7507394349.