Dears Netgaokars, It has been gently and graciously pointed out to me by an authoritative person whom I have known personally for more than two decades that my "analysis of the SAR News report is **inaccurate and uncharitable**" and that I should check with the CBCI Secretariat before making my comments public or I would lose credibility and people would laugh at me. I cannot name the source as I am not authorised to do so. I keep my word. If people laugh at me, I can live with that. So far they have either supported or strongly opposed my views...as I have done to their views. I am a believer in Isaiah's words, "I spit you out of my mouth because you are neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm." No one will honestly accuse me of being lukewarm...and definitely not on Goanet!!!!
It was pointed out to me that two Bishops could not attend the meeting of the Commissions of the CBCI at NBCLC [ a place that I am familiar with having spent six years of my life in Bangalore and having friends in Cooke Town and Cox Town] because they were away in Rome for the Synod. Only 9x3=27 Bishops of the Latin rite are members of the nine commissions. The balance 95 Diocesan Bishops and auxilliaries are not part of these commissions. Hence my suggestion that " It should not have been difficult to find nine committed Bishops among the 122 Bishops in the CBCI, with a good number of stand-by Auxilliary Bishops." was *'inaccurate'*. Mea culpa. I accept that there are only nine Bishops, one each to head each of the nine commissions of the CBCI. It is just that two could not make it. It is a fact that two Bishop Chairpersons of the Commissions [ and 18 other Bishops who are part of the commissions]did not attend. I cannot accept that my comment was uncharitable. 7 out of 27 is no good attendence by any standard, although it is better than 7 out of 122. Stating the truth cannot be *uncharitable.* Where can love/charity lie, except in truth? There has been no comment/response so far from the Goa Archdiocese on one of the CBCI Commission's recommendation [according to the said SAR News report] that **The laity are to be involved in planning and decision-making process in the Church and treated as collaborators. Christian leadership in political and social fields are to be encouraged.** .In fact the DCSJA, recently re-christened as CJSP or "Commission for Social Justice & Peace" without the customary 'Diocesan' prefix, has asked the Goa Government to involve the public[inclusive of the laity, I presume] in the decision making process on Mopa Airport, SEZ and Mono-rail projects. I will await for a week for clarification/elucidation, if any, from the Paco Patriarchal before posting my views on the Net again. After that most people in Goa will be busy discussing the Municipal elections [on 23 October, 2005] and the expected mass conversion [of land] in Taleigao and St.Cruz Assembly Constiuencies, to be bothered about SEZ and Mopa. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Miguel Braganza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[truncated as needed by Goanet] > It is a pity that for meetings of nine commissions there were only seven > out of the 122 Bishops of the Latin rite > "Frederick Noronha (FN)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > BANGALORE, Karnataka (SAR NEWS) -- Representing all the twelve > ecclesiastical regions of the Church in India, the chairpersons and > secretaries of the CCBI Commissions put their heads together to chalk > out priorities to > serve the 122 Latin dioceses that come under the Conference. > ** Formation of laity through catechesis stood as the first priority.** > **The laity are to be involved in planning and decision-making process in > the Church and treated as collaborators. Christian leadership in political > and social fields are to be encouraged.** ............................................... Viva Goa. Miguel Braganza 9822982676
