2023 Holy Trinity Church, Benaulim incident
| 2023 Holy Trinity Church, Benaulim incident | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Façade of the Holy Trinity Church, Benaulim | |||
| Date | 29 March 2023 – 29 May 2023 (2 months and 1 day) | ||
| Location | 15°15′8.03″N 73°56′3.88″E / 15.2522306°N 73.9344111°E ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ | ||
| Caused by |
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| Goals | Transfer/resignation of the parish priest, Fr. Lourdino Anthony Rodrigues[1][2] | ||
| Methods | Protests | ||
| Resulted in | |||
| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
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| Number | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| Arrested | 1 (a week later after the incident)[5] | ||
| Charged |
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  Location within India Goa#India  2023 Holy Trinity Church, Benaulim incident (India) | |||
On 29 May 2023, a protest erupted at Holy Trinity Church in Benaulim, located in the coastal state of Goa, India, resulting in the resignation of the parish priest, Fr. Lourdino Anthony Rodrigues. The conflict had been brewing for some time, with tensions rising between Rodrigues and the parishioners.
Parishioners accused the priest of making administrative decisions without consulting them, and of ignoring their opinions and concerns about the practices and services in the church. The situation reached a breaking point when some parishioners, who were allegedly close to the priest, filed police complaints against certain individuals.
Background[edit]
In the months leading up to the controversy at the church, several parishioners had been calling for the transfer of the parish priest. They claimed that their requests had been ignored by the Church authorities, leading to tensions between the priest and the parishioners. Additionally, some parishioners expressed concern about the transfer of an assistant parish priest within a year, which they believed was unprecedented.[1]
According to a parishioner, both the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) and the youth had individually requested the Bishop to transfer the parish priest, but their efforts were unsuccessful. In response, the parishioners submitted a written representation to the Bishop's office and requested a meeting to discuss the matter further.[1]
Incident[edit]
On 29 May 2023, a group of five parishioners, along with the parish priest Fr. Rodrigues and another Benaulim parish priest, Episcopal Vicar Fr. Lucio Dias, gathered at the church to address a pressing issue.[2] The parishioners demanded the transfer of Fr. Rodrigues, and representatives from the Church were sent to discuss the matter. Unfortunately, the meeting yielded no favorable outcome, as the Bishop's representative emphasized that only the Bishop had the power to make such decisions.[1]
As tensions escalated, hundreds of parishioners congregated at the church, and the priest took refuge in his office as the police tried to keep the situation under control. Despite efforts by the Episcopal Vicar, Fr. Lucio, to pacify the group by offering to hold a meeting before 5 June, the parishioners remained resolute in their demand for immediate action.[1]
Fr. Lucio made another appeal, promising to arrange a meeting between the church authorities and the representatives of the parishioners on 1 June to discuss the matter and come to a resolution. However, the parishioners rejected the proposal, insisting on the transfer of their priest without delay.[1]
As the meeting ended, the parishioners stormed into the church office and demanded Rodrigues' resignation. A police contingent was also present at the scene. The priest eventually signed a resignation letter, ending his tenure at Holy Trinity Church.[2]
He tendered his resignation letter to the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Ferrão and a copy of the same was provided to the members of the parish. The letter explicitly mentioned that Fr Rodrigues will be stepping down from his role as the Parish Priest at Holy Trinity Church in Benaulim on his own accord, with effect from 31 May 2023.[1]
In an effort to find a peaceful resolution between the upset parishioners and church officials, Sub-divisional Police Officer, Margao DySP Santosh Desai and Colva PI Theron D'Costa took on the role of mediators. Their actions were supported by Sub-divisional magistrate Uday Prabhudesai, Additional Collector-cum-Additional district magistrate Srinet Kothwale,[6] and Mamlatdar of Salcete Laxmikant R Desai,[7] who also arrived at the church to prevent any potential disturbances and negotiate a mutually agreeable solution.[1]
Aftermath[edit]
On 4 June 2023, the feast of Holy Trinity was not celebrated as scheduled, resulting in parishioners being unable to attend services due to the absence of a priest. This situation further exacerbated the frustrations of the parishioners.[3]
On 5 June 2023, A resident of Mazilwaddo-Benaulim was arrested by the Colva police, following a complaint filed by Edwin Fernandes, the attorney of Fabrica of the church. The individual was accused of trespass and mischief, allegedly breaking open the lock of the main gate of the church compound and damaging the lock of another left side door, constituting an offense punishable under sections 453 and 427 of the IPC. PI Theron D'Costa, in-charge of the Colva police station, confirmed the arrest.[5]
Based on information from the police, a group of parishioners grew increasingly upset when the church was locked subsequent to the resignation of Fr. Lourdino Anthony Rodrigues, the parish priest, which had occurred the previous week. Fr. Rodrigues chose to step down due to ongoing demands from the parishioners. As a result, the assistant parish priest, who had previously been assigned a transfer, also departed from his role. With no priest available to oversee the church, both the premises and its gates were padlocked.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "Tense moments at Benaulim over transfer of parish priest". The Goan EveryDay. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-28. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Benaulim laity force parish priest to resign". The Times of India. 2023-05-30. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-28. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Man breaks church lock, detained". The Times of India. 2023-06-06. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-28. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ डिजिटल, दैनिक गोमन्तक (2023-05-30). "Benaulim News : अखेर 'त्या' फादरने दिला राजीनामा; लोकांमध्ये संताप". Dainik Gomantak | दैनिक गोमन्तक (in मराठी). Archived from the original on 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "One arrested for trespass, mischief in Benaulim church premises". The Goan EveryDay. Archived from the original on 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-30. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Shri Srinet Kothwale | South Goa District | India". Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2023-08-01. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ टीम, गोमन्तक डिजिटल (2023-05-29). "बाणावलीत पाद्री विरुध्द स्थानिक वाद पेटला; चर्चवरील मोर्चानंतर पाद्रींनी स्वत:ला घेतले कोंडून". Dainik Gomantak | दैनिक गोमन्तक (in मराठी). Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-29. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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