George Pinto wrote on GoaNet:
I could not tell which Catholic Church Gilbert would be defending so we
first went to the Aldona Catholic Church just in case. I was hoping to see
Gilbert standing at the
church gate, valiantly defending against atheists (cosmotheists is a better
word for some to accept), RSS sympathizers, and illegal Muslims in Goa
(according to the RSS all Muslims are illegal in Goa, in India, and in any
country they are found). No sign of Gilbert.
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Dear George,
1) You obviously got your churches wrong. The Aldona Church does not have a
gate. Neither for the compound wall nor at the main door. The side door to
he sacristy though does have a relatively new gate which is locked from
12.30 pm till 4 pm to dissuade tourists from disturbing the priests. Also
there was a major cash robbery some few years back.
2) Though Gilbert has roots in Aldona there aren't many Aldonkars (other
than maybe his close relatives - who don't really have a choice) who want
to celebrate the fact of his being an Aldonkar by origin. All Gilbert has
ever given back to Aldona (or Goa for that matter) is his gratuitous, and
mostly vague, advice. There are non resident Aldonkars who are not as rich
but are generous when appeals are made. Gilbert is generous only with his
preachy (and always unasked for) advice and opinions, and not with his
cheque book. This is very uncharacteristic, as Aldonkars are known for
their philanthropy.
3) Cheers!
Cecil
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