Criminal lawyer Jos Peter D'Souza has this to say in the RENEWAL:
Since the recent judgement in Goa (a death sentence) was
delivered by a judge who professes the Catholic faith,
it would be interesting to look into the stand of the church
on the question of capital punishment....
And:
Most folks in Goa have forgotten about the last time
there was a hanging at Aguada Central Jail. The
hangman had to be brought in all the way from Calcutta.
The hanging did not even cause a ripple in our
society. Murders and rapes continued. A full generation
has passed. This time round, things are different.
No longer are people willing to be silent spectators when
there is a dead man walking. The Church here in Goa,
especially, will be expected to take up the debate.
After all, it has been vociferous on various social
issues, and this is a matter of life and death. The
question is, will it.
Peter, one of the young Goans who returned from Mumbai in the
'seventies, and is now a prominent lawyer based in Mapusa (handling a
number of narcotics cases in recent years), suggests that the Church
hates the sin, but never the sinner. He writes: "Abolition of the death
penalty is further testimony to our conviction that God is indeed the
Lord of life." He cites the statement on death penalty which came from
the Catholic Bishops of the United States in 1980.
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| Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
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| Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages |
| Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls |
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