Says Navy continues to refuse permission to visit island for feasts
The group ‘Devotees to Anjediva Island’ along with octogenarian Natividade De Sa while interacting with the media in Canacona on Tuesday.
CANACONA
Reiterating their demand to allow Catholics to celebrate the feast at the Our Lady of Springs Church on Anjediva Island on February 2, a group of activists have insisted that if the Navy continues to refuse permission to visit the island citing security concerns, it should allow the Church to be translocated to the mainland.
This was the demand put forth by a group ‘Devotees to Anjediva Island’ while interacting with the media on Tuesday. They also demanded that the Navy should allow them to celebrate the other feast of St Francis de Assisi (October 4) on the island.
Addressing reporters, Diogo Da Silva, ad hoc President of the group ‘Devotees to Anjediva Island’, said they have requested the State governments of Goa and Karnataka to take a final stand on their requests to allow them to celebrate both feasts on Anjediva island.
“But if authorities still want to deny us from practicing our faith, then we request the government to take out all religious artefacts and translocate both churches brick by brick from Anjediva Island and relocate them at any place determined by the government in either Goa or Karwar, but they should allow us to continue our worship in these churches,” said Da Silva.
Abel Barretto claimed that the naval authorities, while taking possession of the Anjediva Island from the Goa government, had assured to allow devotees to celebrate the two annual feasts traditionally celebrated on February 2 and October 4.
“However, they went back on their word and stopped devotees since 2005 from proceeding to the island citing security concerns,” said Barretto.
“If security is really an issue, we had provided them with a number of options, such as allowing only a few of us and a priest to celebrate the Feast on the island or to ask Navy personnel to accompany us to the island. But so far, the Navy has not heeded to any of our requests, and has simply kept us in the lurch till now by not allowing us to practice our faith.”
Natividade De Sa, an octogenarian who has been persistently following up the matter for a number of years, said he had been petitioning all authorities, including the president, prime minister, defence minister, chief ministers and chief secretaries of Goa and Karnataka.
“We have been told that the Navy has objected to the celebrations of either or both of these feast on grounds of security concerns. If this is the case, they can allow just five, or even two of us, to at least light candles in these places of worship. The ASI has in recent years renovated the Anjediva Church by spending lakhs of rupees.”
