Fr Pereira, I noticed that you rushed to reply to Albert's concerns and to clarify a point made by Ariosto on the trivial subject of your Bishop's trip to Frisco.
On the other hand you have consistently ignored Cornel D'Costa's questions about the role played by the clergy in Goa's caste system. I think from the tone of his questions, that Cornel too is "hurt about a few things". In fact I too have always been curious about this very question. I know nothing about the history and backgound of the practices of the Church in Goa as they relate to the caste system then. All I have observed in my youth was the discrimination, some silent some not so silent emanating from the mostly Brahmin clergy of that time. From family experience, I can attest to that first-hand though it was spoke mainly in hushed tones. Now, I know that you are not responsible for the history of the Catholic religious hierarchy in Goa, but don't you think that if there have been deep malpractices that obtained at one period, the Church in Goa must stand up and admit those wrongs. A lot of people were hurt by the caste system in Goa. They were hurt enough in their personal social and economic life by such practices. But to have the Church also indulge in them must have broken their backs. Time to describe it, admit it and move on dear Joaquim. Those who were hurt or even those who were not would like to see a certain closure. A mea culpa of the kind that your flock are called to make at the confessional as often as possible. Or else it will be nothing more than the sweeping away of another chapter not unlike the ongoing sexual molestation saga relating to which the higher ups of the Church have made a humongous boo-boo that essentially negated all the goodwill the church has built up with all the creditable work it has ever done. There too the problem was not the evil doings of a minuscule part of the clergy, but the protection of the perpetrators. Roland. On 10/20/07, Joaquim Loiola Pereira <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Agnelo Gomes' and Ariosto Coelho's reactions to Albert D'Souza' letters re. > above topic are most welcome. Albert's letter too is welcome. He is hurt > about a few things and he should feel free to express himself in this forum, > provided he doesn't hurt others much. This letter, however, goes to clarify > a point made by Ariosto, which, to my mind, could send other minds off at a > tangent.
