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Gilbert Lawrence responds:
The dialogue below precisely makes my point of yesterday. Are we
talking
the same thing?
1. Are we referring to Goa or are we talking about India?
The argument is applicable to both. I am a relative newcomer to Goa, but
one thing is clear, there is a brahmin-chardo dominated Catholic clergy
in Goa. For this, A.C. Menezes' mail on this forum is illuminating, I
quote: "...from 16th century to the end of the second world war, only
boys coming from the bamon families were allowed to become priests ( the
chhaddi boy most probably entered the portals of the seminary sometime
during the 19th century ). is this not religious sanction of the caste
system?"
Caste is a pan-Indian phenomenon, and most arguments on this subject are
as applicable to Goa as to India.
2. Are we talking about the Catholic Church or the Christian
church?
Again, the problem of upper-caste dominated clergy referred to is
applicable to both Catholic and Christian church, as it is to most
institutions in India, irrespective of creed.
3. Has anybody heard about Dalit agitations in Goa? VG
pl.respond!
No, I haven't, maybe somebody else has? But if the fact that the clergy
is upper-caste dominated is true, maybe we need an agitation here, not
specifically 'dalit', but by those 'lower' castes which have
traditionally been excluded. It will speed up reform.
Again, I repeat one possible solution:
Maybe some reservation for dalit clergy at all levels of the
church
hierarchy would help? Or, rather than reservation, affirmative
action
along the lines of the US?
And one more point, in response,to Dr. Jos Colao, whose comment I paste
below. Given the reforms in all communities, and the calls from all
enlightened quarters for a total end to the caste system, anyone who
believes in and practices the caste system is that much poorer as a
human being - FULL STOP!
Please understand that I utterly and absolutely condemn the racist Caste
System of India. I also believe that ANYONE who believes in it
and practises
it - is NOT a Catholic but a Hindu - FULL STOP!
