Catholic land scam: Bishop listens before he talks *By:* Bobby Anthony * Date:* 2010-05-16 *Place:* Mumbai
*Bishop to discuss Marinagar land deal with parish priest at St Michael's Church* Bishop Agnelo Gracias met Father Hugh, the parish priest at St Michael's Church in Mahim, on the church premises at 7.45 pm on Saturday to discuss the Marinagar land deal with protesting residents. Earlier in the day, the bishop had invited protesting Marinagar residents to the Bishop House for a discussion to resolve their differences and discuss the issue. As reported in the MiD DAY on Saturday, Marinagar residents got access to the bishop after they held a morcha in the Bishop House compound. "Cancel the power of attorney given to the developer and stop the two buildings which are to come up on our gardens and recreational grounds. That's all we want," a senior citizen from Marinagar requested the bishop. "The trustee of St Michael's Church Trust has the authority to stop any developer, even to take away the power of attorney. He can appoint a lawyer and get a stay order on any developmental activity if there is a violation of rules. So, you must take up the matter with the trustee," said the bishop. He then called Father Hugh to fix an appointment with him. The bishop listened to the parishioners at length and discussions continued until late afternoon. For the moment, Marinagar residents appear relieved that that the bishop is no longer passing the buck of the land deal on to Father Hugh. *What happened so far* Yesterday, Mid Day had reported that residents of Marinagar, an exclusive Catholic colony in Mahim, had written to church authorities about irregularities in a land deal. They alleged that advertisements calling for tenders for development of lands were never advertised in The Examiner, the official publication of the Catholic Church in the city. They also said that flats belonging to St Michael's Church in Mahim were being rented to a real estate development firm to be used as its office, instead of being rented out for their original purpose--as residences for deserving Catholics. The residents held a morcha to the Bishop's office as they suspected the involvement of higher Church authorities. -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.