the goan I network
PANAJI
The Council for Social Justice & Peace (CSJP) has claimed that the Church, through representatives, has the right and spiritual duty to express on the moral aspects of the on-going socio-political situations, while also offering guidance for the building of a just and humane society.
Issuing a clarification on the role of a priest, CSJP Executive Secretary Fr Savio Fernandes said in light of recent controversies, and the selective treatment meted out, the CSJP wanted to clarify that it is customary and traditional in the Catholic Church to denounce evil and promote good values in society.
“Priests are bound to conscientise the laity and to help it interpret the socio-political realities of the day, subject, of course to the restrictions laid down by the law.”
“Silence and restraint on the part of the Church, in the light of these restrictions, should not be interpreted as endorsement of any wrong doing and ought not to be taken advantage of by vested interests, to confuse the public.”
“The Church, through representatives, has the right and spiritual duty to express on the moral aspects of the on-going socio-political situations and offer guidance for the building of a just and humane society,” stated Fr Fernandes.
The CSJP’s clarification comes days after video clips of Raia Parish Priest Fr Conceicao D’Silva’s controversial address to his parishioners in church had gone viral on social media, evoking strong reactions across communities.
The statements had earned the disapproval from some senior priests in the archdiocese and the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas. The archdiocese was quick to issue a statement expressing regret over the objectionable statements and said the priest concerned has been cautioned to refrain from making such statements.
The BJP had also filed a complaint over the video before the Election Commission, seeking a probe in the matter.
Fr D’Silva had later tendered an unconditional apology to the district election authorities and while accepting Fr D’Silva’s apology, district electoral officer and Returning Officer for the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency, Ajit Roy, had warned the priest not to repeat such statements in the future.
