Desecration of Holy Eucharist at Rachol -Soter

10 Mar, 2017, 03:21AM IST

The seriousness of the recent incident of desecration of the Holy Eucharist at Rachol Church by two youth is cleverly being played down with immense flattery over the forgiving nature of the Priest and the Parishioners during the lenten season. The attempt to trivialise this incident in some quarters by comparing the desecration of Holy Communion with desecration of teerth distributed at pujas or in temples smacks of insensitivity and intolerance. Washing one's hands along with the teerth is quite different from spitting out the Holy Communion from the mouth, taking photographs of it and stamping it under the feet. Some priests may have got their share of publicity but the larger concerns remain unanswered for the Catholic community, particularly after it has come to light that a similar incident was attempted in Sancoale Shrine which incidentally happens to be the earlier posting of the present Rachol Parish Priest. 

While appreciating the parishioners of Rachol for exercising utmost restraint and desisting from any sort of violence against the perpetrators of this act, we need to understand that these are not normal times when it comes to the complexities of religious intolerance in this country. Attacks on religious places by feigning drunkenness, mental derangement, jilted lover, ignorance among others are quite common tactics employed by fanatic forces in this country to evade the law. It is also seen that fanatics are often from well to do families and also products from prestigious institutions of learning. Therefore, mere apology letters from the culprits are hardly of any consequence to legally substantiate the rising acts of intolerance in this country. Falling prey to the pleadings of innocence, ignorance and claims of non-alignment to any fanatic ideological groups by the culprits does not solve the problem either. If, the Catholic community is so generous in forgiving then their social and political plight would have been far better had they also forgiven their own Christian politicians who have been selectively defamed and demonised as corrupt and goons by the communal forces. 

Can anyone guarantee that the photo of the desecrated holy communion is not already circulating on internet to celebrate the revenge by fanatic forces against Christians? Christian forgiveness is not about absolving the accused of legal consequences and becoming a door mat. One can only hope that the Catholic Community will not have to repent in future for their immature responses to such incidents.

http://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/People-Edit/Desecration-of-Holy-Eucharist-at-Rachol/112532.html
Letter To Editor, published in oHerald, 10th March 2017