Dear Netters, I do not know if the Rt.Rev.Dr.Raul Nicolau Gonsalves [ email [EMAIL PROTECTED] ],Archbishop of Goa & Daman and Patriarch of the East Indies[Macau Timor,Indonesia,etc], should retire now. He is just getting better. From long-winded,boring and irrelevent sermons that he preached till just a decade back[speaking about Konkani as medium of instruction at the inaugural function of another academic year at an almost exclusively English medium college run by the Archdiocese in the late 1980s,for example],he sermons have become short,crisp and a joy to listen. I listen to them and encourage others [who traditionally tuned off a few seconds after the sermon began] to do likewise. I discovered the change by accident....I was listening to pick up a sentence or two in his sermon that may be relevent to a function that I was making a report on ! He should not retire now. A transfer to a new place ,where his reputation has not preceeded him, should have his Diocese showering him with praise before he takes the final bow. I recommend that. Something to tell St.Peter at the Pearly Gates.
I do not know if St.Thomas,St.James and the other Apostles or St. Paul retired early in life. St.Peter was crucified. The present Pope's justification for staying in office is that Jesus never stepped down from the cross.[That He never assumed temporal powers like the Vatican;lived in palaces or had holidays in Castel Gondolfo,is another matter altogether]. My point is ;"Is the sauce for the Gander not good enough for the Geese?"One never tires,the others re-tire ?? I would recommend an uniform retirement age for the Bishops,Cardinal and Popes---65 years as for Vice-Chancellors. For the rest of their life they can do social service like ordinary mortals,with a proper social security plan. That way we will not have senile Popes [Jesus was executed at the age of 33 years] propounding eminently laughable theories like their own *infallibility* and other self-sustaining nonsense.Vatican's own bank can finance their retirement benefits based on last pay drawn or its equivalent in last perks[theirs is a voluntary ,unpaid service with lots of perks ;))] or the Holy See can pass a decree on a share from the Sunday collections to avoid FCRA,FEMA and other regulations of non-catholic governments.International Clubs like Rotary,Lions and Jaycees use this method routinely . They do not even have a Pro-Nuncio with diplomatic immunity and all the trappings of an Ambassador. Cheers, Miguel P.S. After having seen and heard qualifications such as *working* journalists[the others sleep?idle?], 'practicing' lawyers[the others only preach?] and, recently at a seminar,'practicing' teachers[the others are perfect?]; I do not know how to classify my Christianity: I put Christ's teachings into 'practice';it 'works' for me ...and I am far from perfect. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frederick Noronha Subject: [Goanet]NEWS: Pope to make key appointments > On another level, Goa's archbishop, Raul Gonsalves, has also said in > public that he has tendered his resignation, on touching 75 years of age. > FN > Washington, Aug 28 (IANS) Pope John Paul II has spent part of his summer > vacation at Castel Gandolfo deciding on nominations to fill top Vatican > posts soon to be made vacant by compulsory retirement. He needs to find a replacement for Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Bavarian-born, rigidly conservative Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith who has been second in importance only to John Paul II himself in putting the clock back -- as many observers see it -- on the > progressive reforms of the Second Vatican Council. > > At the same time the pope faces key vacancies in the area of Vatican foreign > policy at a time when the church is seeking to play a more active role in > international affairs. Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano -- > effectively the prime minister of the small city state -- is among the > senior prelates who have reached the mandatory retirement age for Catholic > clergy of 75. > John Paul II, 83, is suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease. He gets > about only in a wheel chair or on a small wheeled platform. But at the > Vatican there is no longer the same concern of a couple of years ago that he > was close the end of his life. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 8/19/2003 ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
