I am deeply disturbed by reading in Times of India today 17.04.19 that
our great Catholic priest, a supporter and promoter of our rights, Fr.
Conceicao D’Silva has tendered his apology to the Collector in Margao. I am
sure knowing him from close angle and moving with him on social service and
also as activist in 1991-92 when I was in Goa for one full year during the invasion of Kuwait while he was
assistant Parish Priest of Calangute Church, Fr. Conceicao D’Silva would not
take his word back. However, in this
episode I am sure heavy pressure must have been imposed on him by his superiors
either from Altinho Panjim or elsewhere.
Following the Central idea of Hinduism which is the “Obedience”, I am
sure he must have tendered his apology by obeying the advice of his superiors. According
to historian Toynbee, the central idea of Hinduism is “Obedience” while that of
Islam is “Justice” and of Christianity “Love”.
By the way when you tender your apology you don’t become small but you must
be perfectly convinced that what you are doing is correct. Fr. Conceicao is also known for his humility and
helpfulness and I made use of both his attributes when we needed some help from
the local Bom Samaritan to settle one court case we were fighting against one
tenant at the time of the construction of our Hotel at Calangute, Hotel Goan
Heritage. Fr. Conceicao at that time
with the full blessing of his Pr. Vigar like a true Bom Samaritan did help us
and this kind gesture of his I remember very well. Besides, he gave his help to
many people whether he is a Christao or Hindu or anyone.
The intellectual might of Fr. Conceicao is very great, so too the
spiritual because of which he was well protected by the Heavenly God. His political “dusman” and also the “Devchar”
were prowling on him to liquidate him but with the mighty protective hand of
God he is well protected and will be protected too in the future. What he preached
in the sermon was absolutely true, he explained how God sends His punishment on
the arrogant and cruel man. The miserable
death came on Parrikar was according to wisdomatic persons deserving because he fooled the people
of Goa enough. Good that the death has
snatched him from this planet otherwise he would become like a Dada and would
employ Hitlerism to create unwanted problems for the innocent people. Of late I noticed in him that power has
reached to his head and became corrupt.
According to Political Scientist Prof. Laski: Power corrupts and
absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Because of his death we escaped from tasting his absolute corrupt power. This type of episodes help us to warn our our
living people to control their pride and arrogance and this is the job of the
clergy to inform the living arrogant persons to behave well otherwise they will
suffer from deadly sicknesses like Pancreatic Cancer, Brain Hemorrhage, Paralitic
and Cardiac Strokes etc. Thru the fear
of God, our clergy brings back the proud and the arrogant to their senses back.
Was it not that due to the punishment of God so many of our “Torne Bonge” MLA’s
and Ministers gone to the Simitir and Musudni? Is it not that some are still
suffering as punishment from God for creating troubles for the innocent people
especially from the minority community?
Elsewhere in India some speakers were known to speak so badly that what
Fr. Concecao spoke is nothing and yet they
were left scott – free while priest like Fr. Conceicao was reprimanded by
the South Goa District Collector Ajit Roy with a warning not to repeat such
actions and also with an advise “to confine himself to his priestly duties only”.
Here I ask the learned Collector who gave his final verdict, “who told him what
Fr. Conceicao D’Silva expressed falls beyond the Christian duties and outside
the boundaries of Christianity?” I think our Jokers at Altinho imposed heavy
pressure on Fr. Conceicao because they were I think, afraid that government would
withdraw the grants the Diocesan Schools are getting. For this reason I think
all the hurry and all the pressure for Apology. The grant that Diocesan Schools
are getting from the government is not from those who are running this show and
they are giving this not from their personal account. It is the grant given by the government from
the public money. But the money
accumulated thru the income from the Diocesan
Scoiety is going into whose pockets?
Who is responsible to take care of this money? In the construction of Diocesan Schools the
contribution of the Church is zero if not
negligible. In our village when
the Church School built it was built thru the finance collected from the local
parishioners based in Goa and outside Goa but the profit the Church makes out
of this was not shared by the Church with any one leave aside with poor
students in helping them to buy books, uniforms and other necessary
amenities. In the name of charity we
make our Church rich and richer and finally and ultimately in whose custody
this accumulated money will fall? Church
leaders are likewise hiding many of the financial transactions, for example,
where does the Sunday and other Holiday Money Collection goes? In some Gulf
countries a few of those who are entrusted withthe task of counting and collecting
the money from the Tray are become “Lakhpotis”.
And what about ours? The real
truth must come out.
A.Veronica Fernandes.
