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Catholic church members plan protest over land issue

In a WhatsApp message that is being circulated by the members of the group to members of the community, it is stated that the group will be observing a fast and protest on May 29. The reasons stated by the group are illegal transactions of church land.

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A group of people under the banner of Association of Concerned Catholics will be fasting and protesting against the Archbishop at the Archbishop House in Colaba.

In a WhatsApp message that is being circulated by the members of the group to members of the community, it is stated that the group will be observing a fast and protest on May 29. The reasons stated by the group are illegal transactions of church land.

"Despite informing the Archbishop, he is not taking any action against the priest. There is an illegality in my own society. We have written a complain to Mhada where in we have informed the authorities of the builder trying to construct on church land. He has been changing tenants all the time. We are asking the Archbishop to write a letter but they are not complaining. We are asking the Archbishop to sack the guilty priest because of whom the church has lost land, but he is not even listening to us on that," said Sodder, member of AOCC.

The group has sought the resignation of the Archbishop. When contacted, Fr Nigel Barrett, spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Bombay, in a detailed response on email said: "The AOCC has raised a number of issues over a period of time. We wish to state that the Archbishop of Bombay, Oswald Cardinal Gracias, had appointed Bishop Agnelo to look into the issues and concerns raised by this group. He has since been meeting the group and is striving to bring them to an understanding of the issues raised."

On the WhatsApp messages, he said, "They have been calling for the resignation of Cardinal Oswald Gracias. This sudden demand for the Cardinal's resignation by a miniscule number is indeed a surprise! The Archdiocese of Bombay comprises over five lakh Catholics who hold the Cardinal in high regard."

With regards to the sale of property, the statement of the spokesperson stated, "This personal attack on the Cardinal is unfortunate. We place on record that Cardinal Oswald Gracias, since the time he took over as the Archbishop, has not sold any church land belonging to the Archdiocese of Bombay. Besides, he has also not given his consent for the sale of any property belonging to the Archdiocese of Bombay, unless due process of law concerning alienation of land was followed and there was a clear disadvantage to the church in retaining it."

On not taking action on the guilty priest, the stated, "With regards to the allegation that the Cardinal does not take action on errant priests: We wish to state that the presbyterium of the priesthood is like a family with the Cardinal as its head. There are times when individual priests may not have acted in a manner befitting their priesthood, according to public perception. When such complaints are received, the Archdiocese makes a proper enquiry and based on the findings of that enquiry, remedial measures are suggested. The Archbishop has acted on these suggestions. The corrective measures adopted are a personal and private matter in keeping with the dignity of the human person, office and position. It is sufficient to understand that appropriate measures have been taken against individual priests who have not acted in a manner befitting of their vocation. However, this is not a matter that the Archdiocese wishes to make public."

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