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Goa News Clips
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Church People Oppose
Garbage Plant Near Old Goa
http://www.the-examiner.org/national.asp
Church people are campaigning against a proposed
garbage-processing plant near ancient churches and monuments
in Old Goa.
On Nov. 19, about 150 people from seven villages around the
historic area in Goa state along with Catholic priests met Goa
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat.
Their memorandum demanded the scrapping of a government move
to acquire about 170,000sqmts. of land in Bainguinim, a
village near Old Goa.
The government decided to acquire the land after a public
outcry and court intervention forced the closure of three
garbage dumps, leading to a garbage management crisis.
Currently, Panaji’s garbage is being dumped within the city
precincts.
Opposition against the proposed dump has simmered for more
than a year. On Nov. 20, a local court directed the government
to consult various civic bodies to resolve the garbage
problem.
Father Valeriano Vaz, director of Goa archdiocese’s Council
for Social Justice and Action, said the proposed plant at
Bainguinim is just a few kilometres away from several churches
and monuments in Old Goa.
Father Vaz is also a member of “The Bainguinim, Old Goa
Villagers’ Action Committee,” which opposes acquisition of
land for the garbage plant.
Committee convener Krishna Kuttikar, a Hindu, said the
villagers would intensify their protest if the government
fails to withdraw the land acquisition plan.
According to Mauvin Godinho, state spokesperson of the ruling
Congress party, the government would not make any decision
that is against the interests of the people. However, the
Catholic politician also said he wants people to stop opposing
any project with a “not-in-my-backyard” attitude.
[UCA
News] |
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CBCI wants cuts in Shekhar Kapoor’s film ‘Elizabeth’
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the apex
body of the Catholic Church in India, has urged chairperson of
the Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC) in India,
Sharmila Tagore, to consider the sentiments of millions of
followers of Christianity in the country before giving its
approval to English movie ‘Elizabeth’ directed by Shekhar
Kapoor, which is to be released shortly.
In a letter November 21, to Sharmila, Archbishop Stanislaus
Fernandes, the secretary general of CBCI, appealed for
censoring of “anti-Catholic scenes” in the controversial film.
The archbishop also requested the CBFC chairperson to consult
the CBCI before the film is released.
The CBCI had intervened last year before the film ‘The Da
Vinci Code’ was released. The CBFC had invited the CBCI to
view the film before its release. The Board had accepted the
suggestions put forward by the CBCI on ‘Da Vinci Code’. As a
result the film was shown with a disclaimer that it was a work
of fiction.
The CBCI has sought a similar disclaimer for ‘Elizabeth’.
Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes has urged the CBFC chairperson
to censor ‘Elizabeth’, as it “unnecessarily targets the
Catholic Church and its leaders and this is not acceptable to
a community that respects other religions and their leaders”.
Scholars and historians across the globe have described the
film as an “anti-papal travesty”. According to them, the film
is wrong in both fact and inclination. “A film which so
profoundly and perversely falsifies history cannot be judged
as a good film,” Prof. Cardini, a noted Florence University
historian, said.
Archbishop Fernandes said that to present Catholicism in a
distorted manner is an insult to its followers, not only in
India but also across the world.
The CBCI, however, has not pinpointed the objectionable scenes
in the film. [SAR News] |
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Several Churches In
Bahrain Face Closure
http://www.the-examiner.org/national.asp
At least 10 Christian churches run mostly by the Indian
community are under the threat of closure in this Gulf
country. According to local sources, the Manama Municipal
Council has given two weeks time to “unlicensed churches” in
its territory to shut down or prove their legality. The
Council says these churches, most of them belonging to Indian
Christians, have been operating from residential premises
without required sanction.
The Manama authorities have decided on “relocating” at least
seven churches. Local sources say there are at least ten
churches facing shut down. According to local authorities, for
a church to operate in this Gulf region, licence has to be
obtained from the Manama Municipality, the Social Development
Ministry or the Justice and Islamic Affairs Ministry.
[ICNS] |
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