http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoart/63794153/in/photostream/
This is a good example of stolen artifact. This picture is poor and was taken in passing; I was hoping to return to take better pictures. The group of people looking after the chapel informed that a year earlier, an antiques dealer offered to pay Rs 200K for this piece. Some time later, someone from the neighbourhood informed me the piece was gone. The church should invest in documenting and insuring these pieces (and evaluating). Regards. On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 6:02 AM, Goanet News Service <n...@goanet.org> wrote: > Goa archdiocese issues security advisory > > Published Date: January 20, 2011 > > By Bosco de Sousa Eremita, Panaji > > > Goa archdiocese has issued a security advisory asking all church committees > in the western Indian state to increase vigilance in and around churches. > > The 15-point advisory was issued after police asked Church authorities to > step up security following a spate of thefts and desecrations of statues. > > “We need to be responsible for our things,” said archdiocese spokesperson > Father Franscisco Caldeira. > > The advisory states that churches should have at least one security guard > from a registered security company on duty at night. > > If religious institutions can’t afford to employ a company guard they should > use volunteers from their locality. > > “The police may explore the possibility of giving some honorarium to > volunteer guards by writing to the government,” the advisory states. > > The archdiocese also recommended reducing access points to places of > worship. > > “Door frame metal detectors may be installed at an entry point and people > should also be subjected to a search if they arouse suspicion,” the advisory > continued. > > Closed circuit TVs should be installed at all strategic points in churches, > it added. > > Peter Pires, a Catholic lay leader, called the police request “ridiculous.” > > “This means the government cannot protect citizens and their property. In > that case, they should stop collecting taxes from us,” he said. > > > http://www.ucanews.com/2011/01/20/goa-archdiocese-issues-security-advisory/ >