March 04, 2016
To,
His
Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio,
Apostolic
Nuncio,
50-C, Niti
Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi
Fax: 011 –
26874286
Subject: Goa
Archbishop’s Canon law frauds in Vanxim Island sale
Your
Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio,
Greetings of
Peace from Goa!
We write to
draw your attention to a very serious issue of scandal committed by the
Archbishop of Goa Felipe Neri Ferrao. He sold this beautiful island of Vanxim
near Old Goa with serious violations of Canon Law and Civil Law. Archbishop and
his team instead of apology and rectification of the moral and legal wrongs
committed have gone about propaganda overdrive justifying the wrong doings.
We take this
step of writing to you after complete deaf ear given to the people of Vanxim
even during the personal meeting with the Archbishop in late 2010. This issue
has been in public discourse from February 11, 2010 drawing flacks from various
quarters in the State of Goa.
This island
of Vanxim is located in Mandovi River near Old Goa where you have made many
visits for the feasts and exposition of St.Francis Xavier on December the third
during past few years. The island has an area of total 7,30,503 square meters.
Church owns over 85% of this land through Santa Monica convent of Old Goa.
The island
has rich tradition of Christianity as well as paddy fields of rice crops. In
the decade of 1990s Goa’s then Archbishop Raul Nicolau Gonsalves secretly
entered into Agreement to sale with Mahendra Gaunekar on 09/04/1999. After his
retirement new Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao sold this island on February 11,
2006. On both the occasions local people in Vanxim were kept in dark. The sold land is of Paddy fields and
horticultural lands. The land was sold very cheaply at the rate of Rs.06/- per
square meters for paddy fields admeasuring 3,00,275 square meters and Rs.20/-
per square meters for horticultural lands close to water bodies admeasuring
1,85,275 square meters.
Mahendra
Gaunkear then transferred rights over this land to a corporate body named Ozone
dealing with real estate in South India for rupees thirty crores. Ozone plans to
set up private villas and sell at the rate of Rs.22 crore each, 5 star hotel,
helipad, marina and golf course. Archbishop’s house has promised to facilitate
handing over every house of Vanxim Island in survey number 1/1 admeasuring
98,200 square meters (where currently
people are residing) to corporate body – Ozone. This is recorded in Joint
development agreement of August 11, 2009 between Mahendra Gaunekar and Ozone.
This sale has
caused tremendous harm to the village in terms of loss of land, corporate
intimidation and disunity amongst the people. The people of Vanxim had never
gone to court. It is because of Archbishop people are dragged to court and
blackmailed into surrendering the rights over their land.
The sale deed
has violated many provisions of canon law. Archbishop openly admits in public
that this sale deed that took place in utmost secrecy is morally wrong but
legally right. He is morally wrong as well as legally wrong, no notice was
served to people of Vanxim neither people were informed nor taken into
confidence. This is both violation of
canon law and civil law. Please visit online links for deeper understanding of
this fraud here : www.bharatmukti.blogspot.in/2015/12/civil-and-canon-law-fraud-canon-law-fraud-commited-by.html
We came to
know about the sale of our island only after 4 years after time bar for
challenge of sale deed expired. Our questions to the Archbishop still remain
unanswered. They are:
“We call upon
the Archbishop to make transparent documents of Vanxim sale as follows:
1.
All
the letters from Tenants Association of Vanxim written in the decade of 1990s
that Archbishop and his team claims to have a hand in sale of Vanxim by
granting NOC to sell Vanxim. Who are the signatories of these letters?
2.
All
the letters sent to Vatican from the Goa Archbishop and his team seeking
permissions to sell Vanxim as per requirements of Canon 1291. And all the
letters granting permissions to sell Vanxim received from Vatican.
3.
All
the reports as per Canon 1292 must be made public. They are the consent reports
and minutes from the financial council of the Goa Diocese and the College of
Consultors and the experts that gave their advice to sell Vanxim.
4.
Names
of those constituted financial council of the Goa Diocese that took decision on
Vanxim, Names of those constituted College of Consultors and the names of
Experts who recommended sale of Vanxim in entirety. All this needed as per
Canon 1292.
5.
What
is the actual total amount and where the money has gone from Vanxim sale?
6.
Documents
of gift of Vanxim to Santa Monica and the obligations attached to be fulfilled.
Which year Vanxim was handed over to Santa Monica Convent? Who did this? For
what reason?
The Goa Archbishop
Ferrao and his team have committed even more serious canonical violations.
1.
Canon
638 (3) needs permission to alienate land from the Santa Monica convent’s
competent superior. Archbishop has kept this information secret.
2.
Canon
1254 (2) requires use to land for the purposes principally: “to order divine
worship, to care for the decent support of the clergy and other ministers, and
to exercise the works of sacred apostolate and of charity, especially towards
the needy.” We understand from this that land cannot be diverted for Golf
courses, 5 star hotels, gambling and other luxury commercial housing.
3.
Canon
1377 needs to be actioned against the Archbishop and those priests involved in
Vanxim sale – Fr.Arlino de mello. This canon states that “a person who
alienates goods without the prescribed permission is to be punished with just
penalty.
4.
Canon
1389 must be activated against all those who abused ecclesiastical power to
sell Vanxim island and cause harm to Vanxim. Along with Archbishop Ferrao,
Archbishop emeritus Gonsalves, Fr.Arlino De mello, ex- procurator, and
Fr.Victor Rodrigues, also ex-procurator and current Parish Priest of Nuvem must
be punished as per this Canon law.
5.
Canon
1392 prohibits clerics from engaging in business and trade. Yet the Goa
Bishop’s house has transformed into centre of business tycoons. Though Vanxim
is sold at the rate of Rs.6/- and Rs.20/- per square meter transactions in
black money are suspected to be astronomical figures running into crores.
St. Paul in 1
Cor 6:1-6 exhorts that Christians should not summon other members of the faith
community into civil court. Goa Archbishop through then Procurator Fr.Victor
Rodrigues made sure that every faithful that has paddy fields in Vanxim are
dragged in the Deputy Collector’s court that is civil in nature.
Archbishop
and priests at Bishop’s house has cause enormous harm to Vanxim Island due to
their poor administration of temporal affairs with grave damage to the Church.
Vanxim was never given to the Santa Monica to sell for luxury hotels and golf
courses. People across Goa are in discussion on the demonic deeds of the Goa
Archbishop selling Vanxim Island. No remedy to this harm caused can be found
and hence like under canon 1741 just the way pastor can be removed, Goa
Archbishop must also be removed from the office.
As the
Archbishop Ferrao cannot hold to his position for the Sheppard must be leading
the faithful without corruption, sound morality and without illegality. Entire
Goa and beyond are aware of this menace. As per above mentioned provisos of
canon law Archbishop Ferrao must step down.
We trust your
office to initiate action on this matter on priority basis. Kindly convey this
detailed message of deep rooted scandal that has hit the Archdiocese of Goa and
cancer of corruption has taken deep roots inside the decision making bodies of
Goa Archdiocese to Pontiff. Pope Francis is very vocal and we read in
newspapers that he has even taken action against the members of hierarchy of
the Church responsible for corruption and child abuse. Goa Archbishop Ferrao
and his team also come under the category of the members of the Church
hierarchy that has to be penalized and transparency installed in all the dealings.
We are
worried that if immediate action against Goa Archbishop is delayed then more
scandals would surface that would further bring Church into public disrepute.
Already print and electronic media are full of news on the scam of Vanxim land
deal.
We are aware
that few other scandals of Church lands being sold to private parties are
simmering in various parts of Goa. There seems to be secret, hidden,
clandestine group of people forming cartel are operating in Goa to sell Church lands.
Few Priests have openly criticized these practices of the Archbishop of Goa and
one Priest, a fierce critic Fr.Bismarque Dias belonging to Blessed Sacrament
Fathers has been found murdered four months ago (November 05, 2015) on
St.Estevam Island that is located closer to Vanxim Island.
We call upon
your kind intervention of the Holy See in Rome. You as an Ambassador of the
Vatican in India we place our hope and trust in you to initiate appropriate
action against Goa Archbishop in consultation with Pope Francis and Roman Curia
and to initiate steps towards safety of the people of Vanxim so that people
live without fear of loosing their land and dwelling place.
Thank you,
Yours
sincerely,
Sd/-
Maggie
Silveira
(President –
Goa Unit)
Copy to: - (1)
The President and Members of Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI).
(2) The Priests, (3) Religious
(4) Laity
How could he have done this??
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