Goa archbishop asked to check pulpit canvassing

Panaji, January 6, 2017: The Aam Aadmi Party has written a letter to Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao saying parish priests overtly canvasing for a candidate of their choice could become a “dangerous trend” in the upcoming state elections.

“The act of each parish priest of overtly canvassing for the candidate of his choice shall lead to a very dangerous trend and may literally pit one parish priest against another and lead to chaos instead of following any clarion call given by the Church,” the letter said.

It urged the Church to seriously consider the matter, failing which it could lead to anarchy by parish priests espousing their individual choice during mass and which would encourage corrupt politicians to engage their respective parish priest and shower them with gifts.

It said in the past some people have “shown that power is their only objective without affiliation to any party or ideology as has been demonstrated by them in the typical Aayaram-Ghayaram philosophy when they appear only during election and disappear thereafter only to reemerge on the announcement of the next election,” it said.

– times of india