PANAJI: Probably for the first time in the history of Goa, special prayers were held during the ‘
Holy Hour
‘ on Friday and Sunday by churches and parishes asking Catholics in the state to vote Tuesday for “responsible candidates” who would uphold values “enshrined in Constitution”. A priest even went to the extent of passing on this message during a
funeral
service in South Goa.
The directive to hold special prayers came from the
archbishop of Goa and Daman
, Felipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao. “This has been interpreted as a message to vote for Congress,” said one observer. CM Pramod Sawant welcomed the church’s message and said BJP, in the true sense, is a secular party. Catholics constitute nearly 25% of Goa’s population and make up 2 lakh out of 6 lakh voters in South Goa. Two seats, Benaulim and Nuvem, have over 80% Christians.
Pray for election of responsible candidates, say Goa churches
The directive to hold special prayers came from the archbishop of Goa and Daman, Felipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao. The prayers were held during the ‘Holy Hour’, a Catholic tradition of spending an hour in eucharistic adoration in the presence of the blessed sacrament.
“It is the responsibility of every citizen to be fully involved in public and social life. We pray during this Holy Hour so that these elections take place in a disciplined manner, and we are able to elect a responsible candidate. To responsibly cast our votes, we need the prayers, which when made unitedly, hold strength,” states a part of the prayer that was read out prior to the commencement of the Holy Hour.
No party or candidate has been named, but a collective understanding within the clergy about who to support has been drawn. The Church hasn’t always shared love for Congress and its candidates.
In 2012, the message from the clergy was to vote against corruption. At the time, it meant vote for BJP as it was the primary opposition party between 2007-2012. BJP was then led by former CM Manohar Parrikar, who helped establish cordial ties between the Church and saffron party.
Relations between BJP and the Church now no longer appear cordial, with Sawant telling TOI in an interview he has held meetings with several priests. “My photos with the priests may have not been circulated, but I have met everyone. I held closed-door meetings. Why should there be a fight between religion for politics and votes? I have made a request (for support),” he said.
