Hi Filomena, Being a catholic is firstly to have faith and to demonstrate it by your own actions and thoughts. You have been extremely critical of the Vatican which for me is a contradiction in the sense that if you are so critical of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, why are you fighting so much for the cause of our Blessed Jose Vaz? In my opinion and and in many others' I have spoken to, Blessed Jose Vaz is already a Saint. And I am sure there are so many other saints whose lives were never known and will never be known but who have died in the service of others and by the love of others, in tragic circumstances, many times as martyrs of their own faith. Those are definitely saints, for sure! Even we are all called to be saints.
I have no justification for your allegations but, as a Catholic, my faith is all I need to keep me going. I trust in the Vatican and in the Catholic Church because my faith is strong. Let me also tell you that the Vatican has got a Goan (born in Borda-Margao) as a Nuntius Apostolicus. Archbishop Blasco Francisco Collaco is currently the Apostolic Nuncio for South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland, and also Apostolic Delegate for Botswana. For those who do not know, an Apostolic Nuncio is an ambassador of the Pope and officially represents the Vatican in the countries they work. Best regards, Paulo Colaco Dias. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Filomena Giese Sent: 05 November 2003 12:34 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Goanet]The saint business (Filomena Giese) Dear Evans, Now you really sound like a Protestant! Is there a name for someone who is in-between being a Catholic and a Protestant? That would describe a lot of Catholics. This Pope has completely stifled all discussion on the topics you have outlined. Catholics mostly are living a different reality from what the conservative teachings say. I did go into the corridors of the Vatican in the year 2000 (not just once, but 3 times!)to canvass for the Joseph Vaz canonization, and went to services, the Papal audience etc. - my overriding impression was that the place was run by white, male, mostly aged or aging clerics, and not one woman in any position of power and decision-making authority,that I could see anyway! It's definitely a bastion of white, aging male (dare I say male menopausal) privilege! They don't speak the ordinary language of you and me.... There's little hope of changing their agenda. Why worry, we can only live our own good life and do good works, and chuckle at the incongruity of it all. Filomena ########################################################################## # 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 # ##########################################################################
