Attempt to escape
responsibility
Over the past six months we have been receiving a single
statement from the hierarchy of the Church in Goa with regards to Vanxim sale.
While BMM has been stressing the need for the office of the Goa Archbishop to
act decisively on Vanxim land scam there are serious attempts at escaping the
responsibility to act and speak out. We are often told that once the Church
sold the land in Vanxim we are not responsible as to whom the buyer further
sells the land. The utterances from certain priests presumes the innocence of
the seller, in this case office of the Goa Archbishop as to whom the buyer further sells the land. However, this is
not the case.
On record hobnobbing
with corporate
Even though Ozone Leisure and Tourism Pvt Ltd are not named
in the agreement to sale of Vanxim in 1999 there is clear hobnobbing with the
corporate world. Though this Agreement to Sale of Vanxim is between the Goa
Archdiocese and Mahendra Gaunekar the indicators are prevalent in the document
that Archdiocese would sell Vanxim (Capao) not only to Mahendra Gaunekar but if needed would enter into direct sale to corporate on the recommendations from Mahendra
Gaunekar. This is very serious situation considering that now the attempts are ongoing
to brainwash public to establish innocence of the office of the Archbishop.
Why brainwashing now?
We however are baffled as to why certain priests are hell
bent on brainwashing public to announce non-existent the innocence of the
office of the Goa Archbishop. The issue is even more surprising since the
brainwashing attempts are being made after Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao
already went on public record that Vanxim land sale by his office is morally
wrong. What exactly few priests want to establish by these assertions is not
known. Do they wants to prove Goa Archbishop was wrong in asserting that Vanxim
sale is morally wrong? If yes, then would not this amount to rebellion against
the Authority of Goa Archbishop? Are these priests regretting that Archbishop
publicly stated Vanxim sale is morally wrong? Revelations from God in due
course of time may help us to know this rather strange behavior of priests
engaged in brainwashing public particularly Catholics.
The deeper plunge
needed
It is a common sense that when stakes are as high as Vanxim
land parceling out to 5 star hotel and for housing for the super rich the lure
of mammon would be tempting specially for those in various leadership
positions. This is particularly true of Church leadership even though there are
signs that God has not abandoned his Church to be lured away for money and
restoration work and wrestling with the mammon is ongoing. The statement of Goa
Archbishop that Vanxim sale of paddy fields and bunds is morally wrong is one
such indicator to reclaim the unruly affairs at the office of the Goa
Archbishop. The statement invites us towards deeper plunge in reflection on the
morally wrong state of affairs inside the office of the Goa Archbishop.
Archbishop’s statement admitting moral wrongness of the Vanxim sale deed has
confirmed what many had suspected for decades: all is not well within the
office of the Goa Archbishop and things have gone towards extreme situation
prompting Goa Archbishop to describe one of its fruits as morally wrong. It is
most common knowledge that Vanxim sale is not the sole fruit of the affairs of
Goa Archbishop that has turned to be morally wrong. What is currently needed is
a deeper plunge to reflect prayerfully, honestly and trace out the roots of
moral wrongs going ons at the corridors of power within Church apex body in
Goa.
Resisting temptations
to silence in the face Justice
There are most powerful temptations of every possible evil
to maintain status quo that perpetuates moral wrongs in the office of the Goa
Archbishop. There are many who are aware but has stayed away from initiating
any firm action to change. This is so much unlike Jesus Christ whom the Church
and particularly the Priests are supposed to preach. There is no smoke without
fire even though for a time being fire may not be visible. If people in the
corridors of power do not take measure to change the situation Public
intervention is inevitable. Not only because the tree that bears morally wrong
fruits has grown big but also because it has been acknowledged by the Authority
as senior as the Patriarch of the Indies and the Archbishop of Goa Daman and
Diu. When such high authority speaks out it is very important that it needs to
be redressed very sincerely and honestly, and what is needed to be done be
effected without delay on priority basis, bravely. If this is neglected by the clergy
and the laity then not only this will ruin the public morals in Church and Society
but also accumulate sins of omissions. It is therefore gravely dangerous to
maintain silence in the face of injustice. Or else the morally wrong tree that
has grown in the office of Goa Archbishop will spread its roots in the heart of
every person in Goa. This is going to be very tragic situation comparable only to moral suicide of a civilization.
Tracing the traces of
scam in Tenants Association of Vanxim
One of the most cited document by the office of the Goa
archbishop is the NOC to sell Paddy fields given to a ‘Goan Firm’ by Tenants
Association of Vanxim on 26.02.1996. However what is surprising is that even
though this document is cited as the most prized document justifying sale of
Vanxim till date it has not been made public and still top guarded secret. One
may question as to why this lid of secrecy still not removed? Why the names who
signed the document not made public? In normal way of dealing this documents
would have been easy to share publicly. Yet secrecy around this turns the
entire affair as a skeleton in the cupboard at the office of the Goa Archbishop.
It is well known now that the office of the Archbishop has kept this secret as
the signatories of N.O.C are not the legitimate office bearers of the Tenants
Association of Vanxim.
Narayan Bhosle systematically collaborated with vested
interests, breached boundaries of the paddy fields and allowed Mandovi water to
flood Paddy fields but also refused to hand over the charge to the new elected
committee composed of Paulina D’Souza and Chandrakant Volvoikar, both of whom
lodged separate complaints with the State administration followed by another
one by Ligorio F. Silveira with Mamlatdar of Tiswadi in 1995 itself. It is the
Tenants Association of Vanxim illegitimate office bearers that have most
probably signed the N.O.C. on 26.02.1996. As long as this document is
maintained in secret nail of suspicion against the office of the Archbishop
will not go away despite innumerable attempts towards distraction.
Breaking out of
Vanxim Scam
Office of the Goa Archbishop has to take a call on Vanxim
scam. After taking first step by labeling Vanxim sale as morally wrong, it has
to move on to rectify the wrongs. Committing a scam is bad. Persisting in scam
is worse. And after recognizing scam publicly to persist in the same is worst.
Currently the office of the Goa Archbishop is in the worst state. After
admitting that sale of Vanxim was morally wrong they have continued in a scam
state. This must change. There is a felt need for the office of the Archbishop
to take on pro-active stance and to break out of Vanxim scam. Few steps are
needed. Most important step is to criticize the Goa cabinet decision to declare
Vanxim as Investment Promotion Area. Forty six survey numbers from Vanxim are
notified in the gazette notification and most of them office of Archbishop is
involved through sale deeds. For this it has to overcome the current inhibitions blocking such action.
Overcoming
inhibitions
The inhibition currently is: how can the Office of the
Archbishop criticize Vanxim five star hotel cum luxury housing for the super
rich when they themselves are involved in selling Vanxim to Gaunekar who then
sold the same to Ozone corporate. Office
of the Archbishop has a primary duty to break out of this scam and it has to
speak out with all its might. Selling of Vanxim was carried on in secrecy and
sale was kept in secrecy for over four years from February 2006 to February 2010.
This was done so that time limit for challenging sale deed passes off. Now the
systematic collaborations with corporate and the brokers has caused so much
damage to the reputation of the Church, Crisis of Faith and spiritual
disarmament. Perhaps it is the spiritual disarmament that has boosted up the
office of the Goa Archbishop to sell off Vanxim. Vanxim sale deed does not
place any condition of silence in the face of injustice. One day that Sun will rise and sent rays so
powerful into the office of Goa Archbishop that Prophets will do what Council
for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) has failed: Criticize fearlessly, publicly. Void caused by murder of Fr. Bismarck Dias will be filled up. Lets pray for disarmament of those predators who prey on Vanxim and Goa and the native people of Goa.
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