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Organised Loot Of Antiquities From Churches And Chapels In Goa On The
Rise
By Fr Desmond de Sousa CSsR, SAR NEWS

PANAJI, Goa (SAR NEWS) -- The theft of an antique crucifix after a
break-in at Panjim Church November 21 only highlights the recent spate
of burglaries in churches and chapels in Goa.

Every Church in Goa possesses priceless works of Indo-Portugese
religious art. The thieves are after only old wooden and ivory statues.
It is a matter of deep concern to the Church authorities and heritage
lovers who fear that the churches and chapels will be stripped of all
religious antiques if the thieves continue to go undetected.

Church leaders are baffled by the now regular thefts and the ability of
the thieves to escape undetected. Barely does the dust settle after one
theft when the thieves strike again elsewhere.

"It is evident now that it is a well organised racket with the culprits
well connected with the sellers of religious antiques of inestimable
value on the international market," observes Father Lucian Fernandes,
secretary of the lay organisations in charge of the local churches and
chapels called Fabricas.

The Church authorities have written to the police providing a list of
recent thefts and requesting a thorough follow-up of the matter. But as
the Director General of Police Ujjwal Mishra admitted, "We have some
clues that we are working on, but there is no real breakthrough in a
single of the recent cases."

Observes one parish priest, "Police patrolling is needed in the wee
hours of the morning and not before midnight. Anyway, are the police
conducting any raids at probable outlets where antiques are sold?"

Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao of Goa has discussed the matter in depth
with key figures in the Church organisations and some possible solutions
have emerged. One is to remove the statues and antiques from the altars
and keep them locked in a safe place. But as Father Lucian admits, "We
are in a dilemma, because people are accustomed to pray at certain
statues and will be upset if they are removed."

One parish priest agrees, "We know that the images are priceless, but
they are kept for people's veneration. How can we maintain churches
without statues?"

The problem occurs only in age-old churches and chapels with an
abundance of antique wooden and ivory sculptures, not in the modern
churches, which hardly have any statues and even the ones they have are
of recent vintage.

Will parishioners' vigil help?

So can the parishioners maintain vigil by turns? But for how long?
Engaging of security guards is another possibility but not a foolproof
solution. Electronic systems or alarm devices for huge structures like
churches are also hardly feasible.

Observes a senior priest, "The way the antiques are being robbed and
sold indicates the dimension of the racket. Given the lethargic attitude
of the police, it is unlikely that it will stop. It is time that we
understand that the Church is of the poor and keep only bare essentials
and remove everything else." ( http://www.sarnews.org )


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