Category: Uncategorized

The decision of Rev Bismarque Dias to stand for elections from the Cumbharjua constituency of the Goa Assembly, albeit as an Independent candidate, has set the cat among the pigeons, triggering a heated debate. Those against the priest’s decision have based their arguments on Canon Law, and those for him have referred to the rampant…

The great Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, famously said, “Friends, Romans and countrymen, lend me an ear”. Now we have our Chief of Army Staff, Gen V.K. Singh, proclaiming in similar vein, “Judges, Indians and Media, lend me an year”; that is to say, extend my tenure by one year, by changing my date of birth…

There is a sharp polarisation of views on the Govt’s recent proposal to allow 51% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail; depending on one’s political inclination, customer profile or business interests. Truth seems to be the casualty. To arrive at a balanced assessment some basic questions need to be asked. Why is the…

POPULATION WORLD INDIA All Catholics 989,366,000 14,908,000 Bishops, Priests & Religious (Personnel) -1,360,112 – 101,096 Lay Catholics 988,065,888 14,806,904 Personnel to Laity Ratio 1:726 1:146 This table shows that India’s Church Personnel to Laity Ratio is five times higher than the world’s. Let us now examine some other statistics from the directory, which unfortunately has…

Nine out of ten Christians in Bihar have disappeared! In Andhra Pradesh the population of Christians has decreased. The Population Growth Rate (PGR) of Christians in Goa and Kerala is a fraction of the national average. But Delhi has seen a phenomenal growth in the number of Christians. Don’t believe me, but believe the statistics…

When we left our ancestral house of 150 years, we moved to one that had a lot of open space. Being fond of gardening, I wanted lovely flowers. But I had a tough choice – trees or flowers. As an environmentalist I opted for trees like neem and ashoka, which have thick foliage. This meant…

3G is sometimes used to describe three times the force of gravity, which fighter pilots and astronauts endure.  They therefore wear 3G suits that protect their bodies from such forces. However, the G that I am writing about stands for Gandhi; and the 3 Gs are the Mahatma, Sonia and Munnabhai. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the…

Poor God. He has a terrible time trying to make himself understood. His troubles are compounded when he uses the crazy English language. When he says, “My son will rise” he means Jesus. But some could have interpreted it to mean, “My sun will rise”, and they began looking at the eastern horizon! The Bible…

It was business as usual in the marketplace. Shopkeepers were opening and cleaning their shops, as customers began trickling in. Each shop had a signboard vying for the customer’s attention. This is about the Five Shopkeepers. The first shop’s sign was -ATA. The first letter had fallen off, and the shopkeeper hadn’t bothered to repair…

This is in response to the article “Lay Participation Down the Ages” that appeared in two successive issues of “The Examiner”, written by Rev Erasto Fernandez SSS. Some may not have read them, and others may not remember. It was about how the Eucharistic celebration evolved over time, with special reference to the role of…