Mario, You jump to conclusion before you do your reading and understanding. But, good for you that you are articulate. So one can see your thinking with its distortions and all. Many may find that (DISTORTIONS) very annoying.
Can you tell us what were the names of the Goan Jesuits involved in writing the Indian constitution? And where could we see their writings? From the little that was posted on the net, the recent 'Jesuit article' was not related to Goa or to Goan caste. So it is an unrelated topic that you are trying to confuse yourself and us.:=) When you return to the USA, you need to read our book 'Amchi Khobor - Our News - Inside Goa'. It cost only $5:00. You are confusing between Goan religion and cultural practices. But please don't feel bad, defensive or insulted. Many European nuns and priests in the 17-18 century had the same problem with Catholic Goans. IMHO, that was one major reason they introduced the Inquisition to Goa to make sure that Goans behaved like good Catholics and discarded their Hindu cultural roots and practices. Perhaps they were a bit like you and Cornel and others - in their failure to understand that the two (Religion and Culture/ Traditions) are not the same! But Goans of the day while changing the religion stuck to their original roots and maintained their society / identity untill the 20th century. Today and in the future, in Goa and in the Diaspora, I am not sure! IMHO only time will tell if we maintain our identity. My initial reading: It is unlikely for a whole variety of reasons, including we are so stubbornly confused. Aum soglem zano attitude. Before you and other jump on me again, I am only recounting my study of our past as we researched for the book. I am not endorsing or opposing history. And for those wanting to know why and what the caste system served should read the above mentioned book. And if the WGD and Goan social organizations permitted Goans to educate other Goans about ourselves, at Goan celebrations and other events, we may be able to enlighten our next generation of our societal values and practices. (Rene Baretto are you reading? We want to do more than write! Can you help?) A lot of what you and Cornel are describing are a lack of that knowledge or just selected snippets of it. And for the same reason, Hindus likley have not even bothered to dialogue the subject with you guys in spite of your attacks on caste. For the Goan future, my thoughtful comment is: One can change the system if and when we have another better substitute (for Goan culture and support-network) which is why a society exists. Again since you insists on things being repeated, I am not endorsing caste. IMHO, I am endorsing a support network in Goa and more so in the the Diaspora, something like what I gather exists in Kuwait. I am not a sociologist, but just a student of it. Regards, Gilbert Mario Goveia Please get the article and see what it says. The Jesuits who were involved in denying that there were castes among Christians in India when the Indian Constitution was written were Goans. But, you are right. Only the Goans were wise enough to give up the system. There is no caste system among Catholic Goans, and your research will confirm what goes on. We have just been imagining all the horrors we see and hear about, including the ones I detailed to you, complete with names.
