This writer has authentic information that NIETHER the Office of the Station Commander Cdr S S Karnik Sea Bird has issued any instructions contrary (i.e refusal to permit the feast celebrations) to the letter dated 15.1.2005 from the Archdiocese of Goa & Daman intimating them of the programme of the customary feast being held on 2nd February, 2005 with two Masses at 10.00 a.m and 1.00 p.m this year to curtail the crowd on the Island at one time.
NOR has the office of Archdiocese of Goa & Daman till the time of writing issued any instructions to the public that the Feast will NOT be celebrated this year for whatever reasons. As a matter of fact the Office of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman thro Fr Joaquim Loila Pereira tel No:+91 0832 2422652 email [EMAIL PROTECTED] has informed this writer that they have kept the Defence Minister and Office of the Chief of Naval Staff informed of the customary Feast (though they have not clarified the date of the letters ) and have NOT recieved any indication to the contrary till date. Therefore it is obvious that the Feast programme stands. However this writer in a teletalk with Dr John Dayal 09811021072 brought to his notice a news item appearing on the Gomantak Times local English daily (in Goa) dated 31st January, 2005 under the heading CONFRONTATION INEVITABLE AS CHURCH ANNOUNCES FEAST AT ANJEDIVA ISLAND -- Bajrang Dal volunteers vow retaliation, wherein it is clear that the Bajrang Dal activists under their leader Mr Pramod Mutalik are "peeved over the "pseudo-secular" approach of the District Administration for allowing the Church to hold festivities at the Island even as it had refused the Dal volunteers to perform a pooja on Durgashtami last year (21/10/2004). In view of the situation Dr Dayal has taken up the matter with Minister of State Mr Oscar Fernandes and will also meet the Union Defence Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee tommorrow at 1000 a.m. The undersigned also spoke with Prof Newman Fernandes whi is presently in Bhopal but he was not aware of the developments though he claimed to have discussed the matter with the Secretary of the Archbishop of Goa & Daman earlier before his departure, to Bhopal. Earlier the undersigned had a tele talk with Capt Eddie Viegas but he too expressed his inability to offer any details on the arrangements What has however irked Goans, as this writer received several telephone calls following the news item of the Bajrang Dal plan, is why the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman which had constituted in November 2002 a six member committee under then Archbishop Dr Raul Niclau Gonsalves viz a) Mr Bosco Vaz (Moderator of Diocesan Pastoral Council) b) Fr Aleixo Menezes (Director Goa Diocesan Centre for Lay Apostolate c) Capt Eddie Viegas President Goa Catholic Association d) Prof Newman Fernandes (Secretary Velha Goa Trust to meet the Governor of Goa Chief Minister of Goa then Defence Minister George Fernandes and Mrs Margaret Alva and finalise a fixed programme once and for all so the the uncertainity and chaos at last minute is averted. Even after the present incumbent took over as Archbishop since 21 March 2004 there is no fixed programme for this Feast and the uncertainity continues. Therefore it is clear that the Church should be more vocal and clear in safeguarding the interests of its flock rather than remain cocooned in the Paco Patriacal and have arm chair committee members to look after such affairs. The incident of the removal of linga from the Archbishops Palace by a group led by a local councillor within 100 mts from the Home Ministers residence The long drawn litigation by a layperson from Orlim Mr Armando Dias right up to the Supreme Court to get a small wall built illegally within the Santas Almas Chapel at Margao are glaring incidents how the Church authorites are not legally or morally equipped to assert their stands. What is therefore needed is that the Church should have more vocal activist in their decision making bodies rather than depending on press notes and favoured journalists to express their point of view. The success or failure of the Feast at Anjediva is a challenge before the Archdiocese of Goa & Daman or else they will have to concede defeat and abdicate their responsibility to guide the destiny of its flock in the Archdiocese of Goa & Daman. Meanwhile the District Commissioner Karwar telephone Nos 08382 226303 08382 221304 and Fax 08382 226603 has not issued any written directions prohibiting participation in the Feast till dated. GODFREY J I GONSALVES Borda Margao Goa [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online Go to: http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matrimony
