Fr. Michael Fernandes in the centre and Maggy to the right.
Yesterday, 5th March 2016 at 3.00 PM in Panjim
at TB Cunha Hall, I attended the meeting
organized by Bharat Mukti Morcha to explain to the people what blunder the Archbishop
of Goa Felipe Neri Ferrao has made in selling the beautiful Vanxim Island to one
non-Christian Mahendra Gaunekar for very cheap price. The area of the land comprising
Paddy Fields sold by the Goa Archbishop is 3,00,275 sq. metres at the rate of
Rs.6.00 per sq. metre and 1,85,275 square metres of Horticultural lands at the
rate of Rs. 20.00 per sq.metre. The deal according to information was initiated in
1990’s when the Bishop House was ruled by the then Archbishop Raul Gonsalves
and in 2006 in the month of February the actual deal was finally clicked by the
current Archbishop.
Gaunekar then sold this
land for 30 crores to a corporate body named Ozone dealing in Real Estate in
South India. This company plans to build
villas and sell at the rate of 22 crores each, 5 star hotel, helipad, marina
and golf course. The Archbishop House
also promised the buyer to hand over every house located there where a number
of inhabitants are residing thereby uprooting the locals from their ancestral dwelling places.
According to the latest
information, the Archbishop has felt the pinch of public ire over this sale and
said it seems that “the deal was morally wrong but legally right”. But did not utter a single word of undoing
the whole deal. The deal was done in utter secrecy and the locals residing in
Vanxim Island came to know of this deal only after 4 years. The locals are now
demanding from Archbishop all the correspondence pertaining to this deal, all the correspondence done between Vatican
and Archbishop House to obtain permission to sell this land as per the Canon
Law and the actual amount paid by the
Gaunekar to the Archbishop.
During the Press
briefing, Fr. Michael Fernandes the Parish Priest of Batim spoke heavily against
the religious gurus who are looting the faithful and Church property adding
further that he being a Christian he cannot remain as silent observer to the
nonsense the Archbishop has committed.
He further said that as per the Gospel of St. Paul he has to raise his
voice on this wrong committed by the Archbishop otherwise he himself commits a
double sin by keeping silent.
Meantime, to correct
the wrong and to bring the Archbishop to his senses and for whom some Catholics
started refusing their allegiance, Bharat Mukti Morcha sent a memorandum to the
Vatican Mission in New Delhi citing all the misdeeds of the Archbishop of Goa, Filipe Neri Ferrao.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel:7507394349.
