[Gulf Goans] "Church is not a discotheque"

[Goa's Pride goa-world.com]

       “Church is not a discotheque”  

Prof. Nicholas D’Souza

What the church is doing is only with respect of its
own flock and in the church premise.

If women chose to dress the way they want, then people
have a right not to be distracted.

While this problem of immodestly is coming to Goa,
this happens not so much in Sunday mass as compared to
nuptials. Problems pertaining to casual attire is
creeping into Sunday Mass.

There is a difference between being attractively
dressed and immodestly dressed. A bride doesn’t have
to be provocatively dressed in order to look
attractive.

The church is not a discotheque or a beach where
anything goes. We tend to forget that the church is a
place of prayer and worship and that, we are in the
presence of God who does not expect us to be making a
fashion statement.

We have a strict dress code at the Nirmala College and
those who dress immodestly are sent home. After all,
our students will be the future teachers and if they
go to class in an immodest attire, they will only
distract students.

(The writer is a professor at Nirmala College of
Education at Panjim)

Heraldo, 25th July 2005

 

- Forwarded by Lino B Dourado, http://www.goa-world.com

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Dress code for Mumbai churchgoers

Cardinal Dias says skimpy clothing is unbecoming of church dignity Miniskirts, tight outfits and plunging necklines are inappropriate for Sunday Mass, the Catholic Church in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) says. Pained by churchgoers' fashion sense, the Archbishop of Mumbai, Cardinal Ivan Dias, has urged the faithful to dress modestly during services. Church officials say it is an attempt to discourage vulgarity. A similar plan by Bombay University recently generated a lot of debate in a city considered India's fashion centre. Cardinal Dias told the Times of India: "Whereas in days gone by, the 'Sunday best' used to become at times a sort of fashion parade, the modern tendency would seem to go to the other extreme. "People [are] wearing attire which is considered casual and unbecoming of the sacred dignity of the church and the members of its congregation." Controversial The president of the Bombay Catholic Forum, Dolphy D'Souza, told the BBC the Church had merely issued guidelines and they should not be taken as an order. Mumbai is considered India's fashion centre He said that issuing such guidelines was nothing new and the Church had been reminding followers about dress codes for some time. A regular churchgoer said the guidelines were needed because Masses were increasingly becoming like a fashion show. Mumbai has nearly 500,000 Catholics who pray in more than 100 churches. Bombay University's recent dress code move became quite controversial. University authorities argued that tight outfits and skimpy clothes led to crimes such as rape. The move led to protests by many non-governmental organisations and student bodies. The proposal has not yet been implemented. In the past, some right-wing Hindu organisations have also tried to ban what they describe as "provocative dressing" on campus.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:0K9g51S6LIUJ:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4675801.stm+Cardinal+Ivan&hl=en

 

Cardinal Dias Issues Dress Code for Churchgoers

MUMBAI (ICNS) -- Cardinal Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Mumbai has issued a dress code urging the parishioners to dress modestly to bring back the old formal style of dressing especially for the Sunday mass.

“The dress code in the church requires our special attention,” Archbishop Cardinal Ivan Dias in a June 9 message read out in parishes in Mumbai dioceses. “I earnestly exhort the lay faithful to come to church functions attired in a way that shows their respect for the sacred place they are worshipping in,” the Cardinal said in his message. Mumbai, India’s financial capital, is home to more than 500,000 Catholics. The city is arguably the center of Indian fashion too. But in recent years, the increasingly casual, skimpy outfits like miniskirts, shorts and spaghetti straps that young people wear during mass have raised churchgoers’ eyebrows. In his message, titled “Dress code for religious functions,” Cardinal Dias said how people used to really dress up for church, comparing Sunday mass to a “fashion parade.” Saying that the dress code and behaviour patterns in the church require special attention, the Cardinal said: “Whereas in days gone by, the 'Sunday Best' used to become at times a sort of fashion parade, the modern tendency would seem to go to the other extreme, with people wearing attire which is considered casual and unbecoming of the sacred dignity of the church and the members of its congregation."  Many Catholics in Mumbai agreed to the dress code that Cardinal Dias has issued. “It is a good thing. The kind of modern dresses that those who are wearing for the Sunday mass is often becoming a distraction for worshippers,” said Ashley D’Douza, a insurance broker in the city. Homemaker Alice Fernandes said casual clothes are always an unwelcome distraction for parishioners in churches.  “People wear shorts, strappy outfits, sleeveless T-shirts and backless dresses to church,” she said. “So many don’t concentrate on God but admire the outfits.”  Saying she had no problem with such garments outside the church, Fernandes recalled female parishioners in the 1950s used to cover their head with veils as a mark of respect. “Now all that is gone.” Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Catholic Secular Forum said the Cardinal’s dress code is not an order, but a good guidance. “But the church needs to be specific of the kind of clothes that one can wear for church services,” he said. “The Bible is clear on two aspects—wearing gold jewellery and a veil. There should be some clarity at least on these two issues, which are scriptural as the guidelines are vague,” the Catholic Secular Forum official added. www.theindiancatholic.com/news_read.asp?nid=638

 

- Forwarded by http://www.goa-world.com

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