On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 10:45:34 +0100 (BST), "President\(sgpiag\)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
"Godfrey J I Gonsalves replies to Fr .J Loila Pereira's clarification on the posting Installation of the Archbishop. goanet dispatch of 22.03.04 and also in the "Goacom-GoaNow's Special Feature" of the 24th instant. Fr Olav Velho Pereira was requested by this writer before the function that the visual and the print media should be given prime location instead of being relegated in the corner ; to enable take photographs and report on the proceedings. He relucrtantly agreed to permit a select few press photographers near the main altar the print media press however were told to " watch the proceedings on the TV screens" Considering that the main event took place nearly 100 hundred meters away on an elevated platform (steps)none could get a clear glimpse of what was happening high up near the altar. TV cameras were NOT properly focussed visibility was poor as reported earlier. There was no commentator ---to narrate either in Konkani or English ---the sequence of events .. Many did not know what was happening The brief itenary was in short supply :. This writer sitting behind the CM Mr Manohar Parrikar sought the help of the priests They would either clarify directly or seek clarifications from one and other and then confirm each event as it took place. One will agree that the ceremony relating to the Installation is not a routine and therefore much of what has been clarified in this report by Fr Pereira ought to have come out by way of proper arrangements viz; a running commentary or a detailed programme circulated before hand to all not as a post mortem report Hence please read on : 1. " ... being graciously led to his Episcopal seat by outgoing Archbishop Dr Raul Nicolau Gonsalves" Correction: The new Archbishop was led to his episcopal seat by His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio in India, who was invited specifically for that purpose, i.e. to install the new Archbishop in his chair.(What gives any Cathedral its importance is the presence of the seat or "cathedra" of the diocesan bishop, in which he is installed on the day he takes canonical possession of the diocese). Clarifications by Gonsalves :Poor visuals on the screen led to this confusion. 2. " ... the 25 member choir led by Rev Fr Bernardo da Cruz" Correction: The choir was led by Fr. Bernardo Cota, who teaches Music in the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol. Clarifications by Gonsalves : It is a priest who gave his name as Fr Bernardo but did not know his surname another one intervened to say it was either Cruz or Cotta but finally reconciled to Cruz; 3. " ... a short procession (from the sacristy and around the Cathedral) of priests nuns and Bishop ..." Correction: There were no nuns in the procession; besides, a procession of more than 300 priests and a score of bishops 'from the sacristy and around the cathedral' cannot be "short!" Clarifications by Gonsalves: the "short "refers to the distance there were five nuns which were seen at the exit door of the Sacristy 4. " ... Fr Rodrigues read out the Pope's letter of appointment of the new incumbent (from a papal brief "InterGravissimas" dated 16.1.2004 )" Correction: The Pope's letter (Papal Bull) was read by Fr. Jose Remedios Fernandes, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman (appointed now the Vicar General of the same Archdiocese). The Bull, titled "Inter Gravissimas," is dated 12.12.2003, as read out by the Chancellor. And this will surely come as a surprise to many. Filipe Neri was already appointed Archbishop of Goa in December last year. It was he who asked the Holy See that the appointment be made public only on 16th January, 2004. There were two reasons for his request: first, 16th Jan. was the Feast of the Patron of the Archdiocese of Goa, Blessed Joseph Vaz, and the new Archbishop was looking for a meaningful date for the announcement. Second: a few days after the signing of the Papal Bull, his nephew Eric was to get married and the nuptials would be obviously blessed by his uncle bishop. Filipe did not want to "steal the show" on his nephew's wedding day, attracting to himself, as he surely would, a horde of relatives and family friends wanting to congratulate the new archbishop. When the undersigned said to Eric: "you just missed being united in marriage by the Patriarch of the East Indies!" the reply was: "What was important to me was to be blessed by Tio Filipe (Uncle Filipe). Patriarch of the East Indies or just Fr. Filipe would make little difference to me." So much for the new archbishop's (and his family' s) unobtrusiveness. Clarification by Gonsalves: "InterGravissimas" is a word unknown to any lay person and all that is elaborated is news to me . However the priests that told me so. 5. " ... This was followed by concelebrated sung High Mass ... the main celebrants were His Excellency the Most Rev Pedro Lopez Quintana Apostolic Nuncio ..." Correction: The only main celebrant was Abp. Neri. While the cardinals and the other bishops concelebrated, Quintana remained 'present' during the liturgy, sitting on a special seat. Clarification by Gonsalves: One could not decipher whether "presence" near the only celebrant is different from being main celebrants . 6. " ... he (Abp. Raul) now leads his Penital Life within the precints (sic)of the Paco Patriacal even post retirement" Comment: Penital (???) Even 'penitential' would be a gross misnomer! Clarification by Gonsalves: A typographical error admitted considering the fact the report was flashed in two hours after the event . If even :penitential is a gross misnomer then what is it ??? 7. " ... Chief Minister of Goa ... got himself photographed for posterity with the Apostolic Nuncio ... just below the Blessed Sacrament." Correction: The tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is kept in the Cathedral has always been, throughout he last four centuries, in a special chapel (to which the report refers, in a different paragraph) on the left side of that grand church -- quite far from the place where the photo was taken. Clarifications by Gonsalves: Tabernacles as a rule are always at the centre == correct me if I am wrong -- that this one was on the left is news to me -- I have never been on a guided tour of the Se Cathedral. 8." ... The final hymn that reverberated the precints (sic) of the SeeCathedral was "I will give you shepherds" sung by the Rachol seminary group." Correction: The final hymn was "Zuze Vasa, Amchea Bhava," the anthem to Blessed Joseph Vaz, the Patron of the Archdiocese. "I will give you shepherds" was a composition of Fr. Bernardo Cota, sung by the Rachol Seminary Choir as an item during the felicitation programme that followed the Mass. Clarification by Gonsalves: Except the word -----final the song referred and the choir is correct. Godfrey Gonsalves' good intentions in presenting a report of the event to the netters are sincerely appreciated. My intervention has no other intentions than to represent the truth. And I think every one of the email addressees below should know. Can any one help out in sending this message across to them? Gonsalves: In conclusion Fr Pereira would agree that the clarifications given by him do not in any way neutralise the news report as was filed by this writer. Instead Fr Pereira would do well to ensure that the Diocesan Centre for Social communication media is more dynamic and efficient in handling such ocassions to allow for better particulars on such events. ########################################################################## # 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 # ##########################################################################
