Someone needs to ask Fr Oliver Fernandes to explain the remarks/statements he made at the 9.30am English Mass, at the Colva Church. At the Christmas mass at 9.30, in English, Fr Fernandes' sermon topics were on Rape, abortion, women's underwear, lesbians, homosexuals .... Which I found extraordinary and wholly inappropriate given this Christmas mass is attended by families with young children and surely the message should have been on the birth of Christ!
Fr Fernandes had the gall to preach on Christmas Day at the 9.30 English mass, that rape was incited by women and their dress code! I understand several people have already complained to the Colva church and I have written a letter to the Bishop, for if this is the message that a priest is promoting what chance do women have? Unfortunately his preaching on these topics is not an isolated incident, for having attended several of the Sunday 9.30 masses conducted in English at Colva church, I have had the misfortune of having to listen to lengthy sermons by Fr Oliver Fernandes which are sex obsessed (topics- blue movies, threesomes, etc) with little or no connection to the readings of the day. He appears to be a misogynist as he considers women responsible (at the Christmas mass he lectured the congregation on the issue of women not being like Mary, because they did not wear what he termed 'inner wear' at dances, does he think that at the time of Jesus and Mary, women wore bras and knickers? He made causal statements such as attending christmas dances leads to abortions! Someone needs to ask Fr Oliver Fernandes why he considers it acceptable to blame women for an act of aggression committed by men? Perhaps he can also explain why in many cultures (tribes across the world) women are topless or close to naked and are not subjected to rape, but according to Fr Fernandes women wearing dresses without sleeves in Goa means that women incite and are therefore responsible for rapes. I was saddened to read that tragically the rape victim despite her brave fight for life, died. But if priests, like Fr Fernandes, are so insensitive at times like this (given his sermon on Christmas day), and fail to see and accept that rape is a male issue, what chance do women have? Yours sincerely Susan Rodrigues
