Is Goa truly ‘liberated’?

When a Catholic priest comments on any political situation (we don’t comment on politics)for the good of the nation or for the good of the Church you find that one group of people (often Catholics in politics) begin their ‘whataboutery’ while the other groups begin to attack the priest like as if he has no role to play in nation building and ought to stick ‘his nose’ in religious matters only. We don’t ask a lawyer or a doctor not to comment on a political situation yet when it comes to religious leaders they should be seen and not heard. I suspect it’s because we do have a voice of influence and you want to shut us up. Actors (another voice of influence) sadly have been numbed into silence when it comes to their political views with political parties via their trolls calling for boycotts and attacking cinemas causing huge financial losses.

We speak of teaching politicians a lesson at the ballot box; that, one will argue, is the democratic way. Yet the ballot is stolen at the box or even worse, enforcement agencies are sent en mass to ‘convince’ you to mend your ‘wicked ways,’ ; that is if you have not sold your soul for several crores of rupees.

I know this comment comes a bit late in the Goa political scenario but I feel compelled to write as the congress MLA’s who were voted by their constituents on a congress party ticket and have now switched to the BJP, betraying their very constituents; DO YOU HAVE NO SHAME? And many may say that these politicians don’t have any shame, yet I feel compelled to ask this question even to my own MLA in my constituency. Do you not fear God ? May I remind you that if you truly profess the Christian faith then you should fear the fires of Hell.

To this, add the woes of so many people getting demolition notices along the Mapusa -Panjim highway; all in the name of infrastructural development. A nation is know not by her bridges but by the way she treats the poorest of the poor. Right now so many senior citizens are in panic mode with these demolition and ‘vacate your premises’ notices.

I am happy to put my name to this protest. I would rather say something even if it is on social media than be guilty of being complicit via my silence.

Wake up Goa your ‘true liberation’ is at hand.

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8 thoughts on “Is Goa truly ‘liberated’?”

  • i do think the catholic church has a role to play in politics and must guide its parishioners to vote for candidates that HAVE MORAL VALUES. most of the hindus vote for one of their own and so do the muslims. catholics will vote for their own but their own are CRIMINALS! so what is wrong is asking parishioners to think about their own values and what is important to their families, when casting their votes? IT IS ALSO TIME FOR THE CHURCH IN GOA NOT TO GIVE SERMONS BUT TO PUT TO THE PARISHIONERS QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR FAITH eg. why do they go to church on sundays?
    90% OF THE CATHOLIC MLAS, PAST AND PRESENT ARE THIEVES! irrespective of party. the main goal of these thieves is NOT TO HELP OTHERS OR GOA BUT TO HELP THEMSELVES!! so if the basic reason for becoming an mla was a criminal one, how can they change their agenda when crores are being offered for FREE? FEAR OF GOD😎?
    some of our catholic mlas and other citizens are seen and heard making pilgrimages to far away places….because they think that god is more present in those places than in their own souls, homes, neighbourhoods or villages. they were born to catholic families and then baptised and went every sunday to church & through the catholic school system. however THEY DO NOT HAVE THE BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF CHRISTINANITY NOR DO THEY HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. god for them is someone who resides in church or in valankanni or jerusalem or rome!!!
    does eating beef or wearing western clothes or having a saints name and going to church make one a christian?
    FEAR OF GOD😎? HOW CAN THEY FEAR GOD WHEN THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST??

    Reply
    • Dear John Mascarenhas

      You have written from your heart and mind – and is your right to do it. I only suggest one change – the Holy Church has a role to play in pastoring Catholics on Politics, but not a role in Active Politics. Give to God what belongs to God and to the State what belong to it, and also One cannot serve two Masters God and Money. These two teachings are very clear, although I have altered some text to suit our current era

      If World Politics were clean and unblemished as it is supposed to be, even Priests could take part in Active Politics, why not! But Politics is a business, and businesses deal with money, and money always tends to be tainted. Which is why to serve one Master the Church stays far away from Active Politics.

      Passive Politics on the other hand can take the form of Pastoring with a clean conscious, unrevealing to the Congregation the candidate whom the Preacher has selected – that’s a tricky part for many Priests in Goa. If listening to their sermons can bore you, then concealing their political choices should be a hard choice for them.

      About Sermons/Homilies. This is time-out from the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is the moment the Preacher gets to relate the reading of the day to/with daily lifestyles, daily crosses and Daly successes, instead they invariably tend to explain the Readings just read – something we have been told and told over and over again. A Preacher should be an orator, but that’s a big job to ask of Priests who spin grandmother stories from the Pulpit. All grandmother’s will be certainly touched, but Adults, Young Adults, Youth especially and Teens will be checking their watches or their chats.

      In summary. Preachers should delve into Passive Politics for what it’s worth – to help the Congregation make the right choice, and not their choice

      Reply
    • Dear John Mascarenhas

      You have written from your heart and soul, and it is your moral right to do so. I only suggest one change – that the Holy Church has a role to play in pastoring Christians on Politics, more so on the sacred casting of their vote by reason, and never ever going by the flow, that is to say by friends, by their community, or by influence, which is much the case now and it has proved disastrous time and time again. The jumping ship by the Politicians is an eye opener, yet I bet our Christians will make the same blunder having learnt nothing.

      A saying in scripture goes like this “… they have eyes but do not see, have ears but do not hear …”.

      To continue about the Holy Church in Politics, in my opinion the Church should not play a role in Active Politics. Jesus said, Give to God what belongs to God and to the State what belong to it, and He also said One cannot serve two Masters God and Money. These two teachings make very clear interpretations.

      However if World Politics were clean and unblemished as it is meant to be, then even Priests could take part in Active Politics, why not!

      But Politics is now a business, and businesses deal with money, and money tends to be tainted. Which is why to serve one true Master .. the Holy Church stays far away from Active Politics.

      Passive Politics on the other hand can take the form of pastoring followers with a clean conscious, by this I mean by not revealing to the Congregation the candidate who the Preacher has selected. Guide the congregation, show examples of the past, motivate them to pray earnestly for good choices, especially pray not to fall victim to hearsay.

      But practicing restraint is a tricky part for many Diocesan Priests in Goa … they typically cannot hold on to this high level of restraint with confidence.

      Just listening to the sermons can bore you, so how could they conceal their political choices should be a hard choice for them.

      About Sermons/Homilies. This period for Priests is their time-out from the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is the moment the Preacher in them should get the chance to explode, making scripture come alive with daily lifestyles, with daily crosses and also with daily successes. Instead they invariably tend to explain and elaborate on the Readings – which we have heard and heard over and over again. A Preacher should be an orator, but that’s a big job to ask of Priests who spin grandmother stories from the lectern. All the grandmothers will certainly be touched, but the Young Adults, the Youth especially and Teens will invariably be checking their watches or their chats.

      In summary. Priests should limit themselves to Passive Politics for what it’s worth – to help the Congregation make the right choices, but since Active Politics has become demeaning, cheap and graceless – they should steer well clear of it.

      Note. I have high esteem for all Priests, their sacrifice towards Christ’s flock is immeasurable, I comment about the Preacher in them

      Reply
      • Mr.Fred Faroff, your lengthy reply to Mr. John Mascarenhas is clearly debatable.

        The Preacher that you chose to comment upon is FAR FROM SERVING TWO MASTERS.

        Infact such is the loyalty, to THE ONE AND ONLY ONE MASTER WHOM The Preachers SERVE, that the intended message being conveyed by THE PREACHERS to us all IS, to SERVE WITH complete FAITHFULLNESS THE ONE and ONLY MASTER.. whom they ARE SERVING and TESTIFYING …

        One needs COURAGE, TRUE COURAGE I SAY, which The Preachers have shown WITHOUT an IOTA OF FEAR.

        Your comment suggests that They should not be participants and party to such propagation of TRUTH. which is the very CAUSE WE STAND FOR, WHICH IS the CAUSE of CRUCIFIXION OF OUR LORD, and which is the SYMBOL OF TRIUMPH to us all.

        I appreciate and applaud the views of Fr. Warner and the purpose it has been posted here for.. 🙏

        Reply
  • Very true Fr. Warner. These so called people’s representatives are rogues, rascals and plunderers. They go about their looting and booting business like it is nobody’s business.

    I have seen quite a few Priests of Goa on wsapp expressing their displeasure and dissent and with good reason. Infact by all means the Priests should touch upon such issues to alert and sensitise the congregation to GUARD their COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE from imitating the ways of THE PROSPERING DEVILS.

    Our DIShonourable COURTS have failed us time and again. They are a HUGE PARASITE on the Tax Payers of this country. A GOOD FOR NOTHING SPINELESS, INSTITUTION.

    And rather than be guilty of complicity by our silence, WE MUST LET IT BE KNOWN… for too many of us are TODAY, INDIFFERENT to whats going on..

    Thankyou Fr. Warner for expressing your concern to your flock..🙏

    Reply
  • mr fred faroff. i agree with you on some points and disagree with you on others.
    i think that that priests as shepherds should be passive/ active guides to their sheep (baa). it is right that they should use their education/diligence to make the sheep aware of their rights, responsibilities and dangers. however when it comes to citizen rights being trampled, priests as citizens, have every right to lead from the front and fight for our rights.
    i do not agree that they would be serving 2 masters god and money, as long as they refrain from making direct political preferences. i have heard of goan diocesan priests being very close to some politicians. on a personal level, no problems BUT as a priest or a leader from the church…it is NOT RIGHT!

    i do not agree with the church being called ‘holy’. we all make up the church and we are FAR FROM HOLY! nor is rome holy!

    sermons: that is what i like the least! it is a time for the priest to grab attention of the sheep. however most of the time…IT IS A USELESS MONOLOGUE…from trying to describe the birth of christ for the nth time or to narrating some of the days readings as if it was not understood the first time round. yes…..fault of the church as BIBLE READING AND UNDERSTANDING WAS NEVER GIVEN IMPORTANCE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH in educating its sheep, unlike the protestants or the new smaller breakaway churches. i have approached priests after mass to tell them to limit their sermons to 10-15mins (that is the attention span of an adult in todays world! include in their sermons summary of the readings, add non-fiction short story/joke to get the essence of the readings penetrate the brains of the sheep and end it with questions asking how the readings/story relate/impact their everyday lives). BUT NO! they believe it is their right to have their 30mins of fame…..and so the monologues continue!!!
    to end this sad saga: WHO IS LISTENING TO THE PRIESTS??? the goans catholics of today would rather follow whastapp and the smell of moolah!

    Reply
    • Hi, May I request you to leave a comment and not start a debate. The idea is to express your thought. Appreciate your cooperation.

      Reply
      • Fr. Warner, I appreciate your intervention to make it clear its not Arnab Goswami’s show thats so full of bullshit.. and browbeating and nothing but gagging the truth. But humans as we are, we tend to feel like we r in Goswami’s show..

        In more ways than one, the misconceptions some of our Catholic Brethren carry needs redressal via enlightenment or educative exchange of views ie another field all together.. which is what I feel.. I say this as the media of today is packed with everything to misguide
        us rather than otherwise ..

        🙏🙏

        Reply

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