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Happy New Year Twenty-Ten
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Letter to editor at Herald:
A spokesperson for the Church has announced that the Church "has forgiven"
Calvert Gonsalves. Unfortunately, Calvert is not in need of the Church's
forgiveness. If Calvert has done something wrong then, he like every citizen of
Goa, can be held libel or detained under criminal charges.
This was a magnificent moment for the Church in Goa to show moral, civic and
political leadership. Unfortunately it failed. The Church is an institution,
and like every institution in India, it cannot be exempt from criticism. When
Catholic Goans make the Church exempt from criticism, we are effectively
chipping away at the very roots of our democracy. Of course, like every other
institution the Church is also allowed a defense of itself. But this defense
cannot take the form of violence, whether directly or indirectly instigated by
its members. This betrays the very tenets of Christianity.
The Church must show leadership. It must hold an independent enquiry into the
incidents at Colva and it must apologize on behalf of members of its clergy and
its parishioners. Following which these members must be duly penalized if found
responsible. If it doesn't show leadership at this critical junction, it loses
moral authority and it opens the floodgates to the most anarchic situations in
Goa.
Selma Carvalho
London
