From: b sabha <bcsabha.kal...@gmail.com>
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-mount-mary-basilica-door-of-mercy-closed/17114162 [http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Catholics-l.jpg]<http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-mount-mary-basilica-door-of-mercy-closed/17114162> Mumbai: Mount Mary Basilica Door of Mercy closed<http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-mount-mary-basilica-door-of-mercy-closed/17114162> www.mid-day.com Protests trigger closure; Bishop Agnelo says no yielding to pressure Protests trigger closure; Bishop Agnelo says no yielding to pressure There was high drama amidst the divine at Bandra’s Mount Mary’s Basilica yesterday morning. The faithful who had come to walk through the ‘Door of Mercy’ were forced to return without obtaining a plenary indulgence (remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins). [Many Catholics from across the city who came to the Basilica had to face the closed Door of Mercy. Pic/Nimesh Dave] Many Catholics from across the city who came to the Basilica had to face the closed Door of Mercy. Pic/Nimesh Dave The ‘Door of Mercy’ was shut because a group of protestors had congregated near the Door. The protestors, three amongst them who claim to be on a ‘fast unto death’ are on the warpath claiming corruption and mismanagement by church authorities. Wilma D’souza Shirke and her family, parishioners of Good Shepherd Church, Four Bungalows, Andheri, who had arrived to Mount Mary to walk through the Door were shocked. Wilma said, “We were taken aback at the closure.” Like Shirke, Tomazinho Pinero who had come along with his family was disappointed. “My children had a school holiday, so we came to walk through the Door. The other Door of Mercy is at Holy Name Cathedral in Colaba. We live at Malad, so that is a real distance. We were only able to pray in the Church. I hope God shows us mercy, we wanted to walk through the Door.” When we visited the spot, we saw that the Bandra Church’s Door of Mercy had a notice saying that it is temporarily closed. A group of 15 people were sitting by the door of the Church. Amongst these were Rupesh Gomes, George Miranda and Darryl D’souza who are fasting, against what they claim is corruption by the church. The Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC) and Catholic Residents Organization for Social Service (CROSS) are leading this fast, which began on Sunday. Joseph Sodders from AOCC said, “There is corruption at Mount Mary’s. Nobody knows what happens to the jewellery and saris that are donated to the Church. The priest, Monseigneur Nereus Rodrigues is 90 plus, as per Cannon law he should have retired at 75.” Gomes and Miranda say they have only been drinking water and have shunned food. D’souza who works at a call centre, fasts from sunrise to sunset but does eat post sunset. “We sit here, sleep here and pray. People are blaming us for the closure. We want people to come and receive God’s mercy. This is not for publicity, we are fighting for a just cause,” said a weak Gomes who was put on drip on Tuesday, April 5. Vincent Nazareth, who is supporting the fast said, “This was not spontaneous but a planned protest. The fast goes on till we get a clean church. Anna Hazare fasted for so many days, this agitation has just started.” Fr. Aniceto Pereira, vice-rector of Mount Mary’s Basilica said, “We have not received any official information of the fast details. The Door of Mercy is closed since they were sitting there and inconveniencing people. I am unsure when it will reopen.” Bishop Agnelo Gracias, Auxilury Bishop, Archdiocese of Bombay said, “It is a shame that the fast is on in a shrine. They should have had it at the Bishop’s House. We are ready to dialogue with them. The fast is not the best way to get their demands met. The Archbishop was willing to meet them on Thursday evening, but they did not come. We will not yield to pressure in any way.” With the issue deadlocked, the Colaba Door may be the only Door of Mercy in the city open right now, for those who seek remission. About the Door of Mercy >> The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a Roman Catholic period of prayer held >> from the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), 2015 to the Feast >> of Christ the King (November 20), 2016. >> The holy doors of the major basilicas across the world were opened, and >> special ‘Doors of Mercy’ were opened at cathedrals and other major churches. >> The Archdiocese of Bombay opened its second Door of Mercy at Mount Mary’s on >> December 20, 2015 as Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias presided >> over the ceremony of the opening of the Door of Mercy. >> On December 13, Auxiliary Bishop John Rodrigues of Bombay opened the Door of >> Mercy at Holy Name Cathedral in Colaba. ======== From: Gordon Jacobs <gordonjacobs2...@yahoo.com> Subject: State of affairs at The Archdiocese of Bombay To: Hello, I have been receiving calls from a lot of friends at Mumbai and other parts of India asking me about reports that Catholics at Mumbai are staging a indefinite fast at ' The door of Mercy' at the basilica of Mount Mary Bandra, Mumbai. Pls allow to explain. Catholic groups from various parts of Mumbai are got very sick and tired with the autocratic attitude of the administration at The Archbishop House Bombay. To explain and elaborate each issue would take a lot of your valuable time.The gist point wise are as follows. 1, There is no transparency in finance even though it is mandatory as per canon law. 2, Sale of church land and assets are undertaken without informing the laity and in Most of the cases without the due consent and permission of The C commissioner. 3, Clear proceeds of the sale of land is never informed to the laity. In most of the cases Church land is sold below market value and it appears it's a well oiled sets of wheels the has been moving for some time. 4, Church land which housed crawls for the weaker section of our community has been sold off after papers show there are move incumbents on the plot thus bringing down the value of the estate. The parish priest in this case is now on bail after some concerned Catholics made a police complaint. 5 Efforts to dialogue with the hierarchy at the AB house has been a unsuccessful task as each one passes the Buck and make the whistle blower run from pillar to post with the intention that the laity gives up in frustration. 6 , Besides these issues , the attitude at the AB house is arrogant and when asked soul searching questions they thump and bang the table. 7, Nepotism runs high, the families of certain clergy members are allotted housing by ignoring those on wait list. 8 In the past 4 years or about not a single issue raised with the administration has been resolved and closed. 9 A case of a church worker from the PPC when asked to sign some church property papers refused to do so as she was not convinced of its contents. The local bishop and the others got her removed. The lady appealed for unbiased investigation. this was done by another bishop who cleared her name and the Cardinal also cleared her name. Yet upto today she has not been reinstated. The local parish priest does not Even respect the findings. Now both the investigating bishop and the Cardinal say They have done their part. This incident clearly shows the total lack of control the Cardinal has on his clergy. With the situation at such a low ebb and the ineffectiveness of those in authority a group of concerned Catholics are staging an indefinite fast. Today 7th April is the fifth day. The lives of three of those undertaking the fast are in danger. Yet the administration at The Archbishop House is not willing to discuss. When we ask to have a meeting with Oswald Cardinal Gracias , he is either I'll, busy or overseas. I hope I was able to give you a short summary, to enable you to understand why the door of Mercy is closed and people are standing around Gordon Jacobs 9819662963 Sent from my iPad
