Goa Minister apologises for 'likening' Parrikar to Jesus

"In fact it is the Congress who, by giving a spin to my statement, is insulting religious sentiments," the Minister added.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the state assembly in Porvorim, Goa on Jan 31, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Panaji:  A Goa minister on Saturday apologised for "likening" Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to Jesus Christ.

"If anyone is hurt because of the spin deliberately given by the Congress, I seek pardon from people whose sentiments are hurt. But I appeal to the people not to fall prey to the mind games played by the Congress," state Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai said in a statement, accusing the Congress of misunderstanding his remarks.

Sardesai said that he was only trying to draw "an analogy between Parrikar and Jesus Christ", but did not make an attempt to equate them and blamed the Congress for twisting his statement.

"In fact it is the Congress who, by giving a spin to my statement, is insulting religious sentiments," the Minister added.

The Congress on Friday demanded Sardesai's resignation accusing him of hurting the sentiments of Catholics in Goa for the remarks he made during a congratulatory motion moved by BJP MLA Rajesh Patnekar on Thursday at the Budget session of the state legislative Assembly.

Congratulating Parrikar for the new cable bridge 'Atal Setu', Sardesai had said: "In the Bible, there is a saying, which says man should build bridges and not walls. Jesus built bridges not walls. You need to build bridges. Manohar Parrikar is a person who builds bridges".

IANS

CSI Bishop of Bangaluru booked following woman's complaints

Samuel is also an accused in a POCSO case for which the court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him in April 2018.

File image of Bishop PK Samuel.

Bengaluru:  A case has been registered against a bishop and pastor in Bengaluru after a Dalit woman attempted suicide following alleged molestation and threats from the duo.

The FIR was filed against bishop PK Samuel of Church of South India, Karnataka Central Diocese, and pastor Vinod Dasan for criminal intimidation and outraging the modesty of the woman among other charges.

Speaking to CNN News18, Bishop Samuel denied the charges and said Vinod Dasan was not a pastor as stated in the FIR.

According to the complaint, Dasan asked the woman to withdraw a case against him from 2013 which, the police said, was registered for atrocities against members of the SC/ST community.

He then asked her and her husband to come near the Trinity Church in Halasuru on January 21. While the woman’s husband was busy talking to the pastor, the bishop allegedly took her outside the compound, promised her Rs 1 crore and a job to withdraw the case.

When she refused, he outraged her modesty and threatened to kill her if she told this to her husband, she told the police in her complaint. On January 31 around 1am, the woman allegedly attempted suicide by consuming pesticide.

The case registered in Ulsoor police station limits is being investigated, said a police officer.

The bishop, however, said he did not even know the woman. "On 21 January, as they allege that the incident happened, they did not come to my house at all. When I don't know them where is the point of me talking to them or negotiating or anything for that matter," he said.

Samuel said his house is in the Trinity Church and though there is a pastor in the Trinity, his name is different.

“I do not know why they have used that fellow's (Vinod Dasan) name as a pastor. That itself is a concocted story. He (Vinod) is not a pastor. Please don't misunderstand. He is a member of St Peter's church, Cox town. Nothing to do with Trinity Church," he said.

The bishop also said he would take legal action against the complainant. “Let the law take its own course. Let police inquire. Then I will take legal recourse against the woman. People are using her to malign my name," he added.

Samuel is also an accused in a POCSO case for which the court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him in April 2018. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Source: News 18

India grieves for seminarian who rose to defense minister

Modi says Fernandes 'represented the best of India's political leadership,' archbishop remembers him as 'simply inspiring'.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute to former defence minister George Fernandes, who died at the age of 88 after a prolonged illness in New Delhi on Jan. 29. (Photo by IANS)

Bhopal:  India's prime minister and president were among a coterie of high-ranking officials who expressed their condolences this week at the death of George Fernandes, a former Catholic seminarian who rose to become India's defense minister.

Fernandes, India's best-known trade union leader, died on Jan. 29 at the age of 88 at his New Delhi residence. He had not been actively involved in politics since 2012, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

"He epitomized simple living and high thinking. And he was a champion of democracy.… We will all miss him," Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said in a recorded message.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Fernandes as a "fiery trade union leader" and a "visionary railway minister."

He "represented the best of India's political leadership. Frank and fearless, forthright and farsighted, he made a valuable contribution to our country. He was among the most effective voices for the rights of the poor and marginalized," Modi added.

When people recall Fernandes, "we remember most notably the fiery trade union leader who fought for justice, the leader who could humble the mightiest of politicians at the hustings, a visionary railway minister and a great defense minister who made India safe and strong," Modi posted on his Twitter account.

The strong-willed socialist led a simple life. He made India's kurta pyjama, a top tunic and bottoms made from cotton, his trademark dress and would always wear it un-ironed.

This was seen as a sign of his humility, and his choice of such a casual wardrobe brought him closer to the rural villagers he sought to represent.

Even at the height of his political career, Fernandes insisted on washing his own clothes, recalls his longtime friend, the journalist Ram Bahadur Rai.

Fernandes enjoyed good health until one day in 1995 when he had a fall in his bathroom and injured his head.

He became ill shortly afterwards, underwent surgery, and was bed-ridden from 2012 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

But in his heyday, he was a man to be reckoned with.

Fernandes rose to political prominence at the age of 37 after he defeated former Congress party stalwart S. K. Patil from Mumbai in the 1967 general election.

Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal said Fernades was regularly invited to attend seminars and discussions organized by church institutions and seminaries.

"I had the privilege of meeting him several times. And I attended his talks on numerous occasions. He was simply inspiring," said the prelate, who is based in the capital city of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Both the archbishop and Fernades are natives of Mangalore, a Catholic stronghold in western India.

Fernandes was born on June 3, 1930, as the eldest of six children. He joined the seminary and looked set on carving out a promising future as a Catholic priest.

However, after he graduated with a degree in philosophy from St. Peter's Seminary in Bangalore, he opted to leave the seminary at 19.

"He then moved to Mumbai searching for work and went on to become a trade union leader. He also worked as a journalist and agriculturist," recalled Archbishop Cornelio.

With his election victory in Mumbai, he became a full-time politician, opposing the powerful Congress party and the communists.

That prompted him to join the Janata Party (People's Party), an amalgam of parties opposed to the emergency rule imposed by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, which led to the suspension of civil rights.

During that heady period, Fernandes found himself arrested and jailed. He was taken to court handcuffed and chained up, accused of trying to blow up a government building and railway lines.

He fought and won the case, was elected in the general election of 1977, and rose to become industry minister under former prime minister Morarji Desai.

Shortly after being elected at the poll, he ordered Coca-Cola to stop its operations in India due to concern over the kind of formula it used in its concentrates.

The soft drink giant was forced shutter its operations in the country after 27 years of building up a market there. It was not to return until 1993 after India opened up its economy in 1991.

Fernandes would go on to join the Janata Dal Party under the stewardship of another former prime minister, V. P. Singh.

However, he later split from the party, accusing it of discriminative, caste-based policies, and formed the Samata (Equality) Party in 1994.

He was a member of both houses of parliament and "fought for the rights of the poor. His Catholic upbringing was a solid base for his philosophy on life and his worldview," Archbishop Cornelio said.

Fernandes played a crucial role in the creation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 1998, a coalition led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served as the NDA's convener.

The BJP effectively controlled a stable government from March 1998 to 2004, which came in stark contrast to its first attempt at ruling the country in May 1996, a reign that lasted for a princely 16 days.

Fernandes also served as defense minister during the administration of Atal Bihri Vajpayee.

"Whatever political views he held, and despite his stature, he was very humble. He made himself accessible to everyone, especially the poor and the weak," said Jesuit Father Philip Manthra, who is based in the state of Bihar.

Bihar was considered Fernandes' political base. He led several movements organizing farmers and workers there. The caste-divided eastern state was also the home of his Samata Party.

"One of his finest characteristics was that he was a friend of the poor and stood for their cause," recalled Father Manthra, who at 86 still campaigns as a social activist.

"He is still very popular here. He never backed out of any serious projects he had undertaken. His political group has almost been eliminated now," Manthra observed.

Fernandes leaves behind his wife, Leila Kabir, and their son, who was heading back to the India from the United States.

His body was cremated on Jan. 31. The ashes were due to be buried at New Delhi's York Cemetery on Feb. 1.

Source: UCAN

Philippines treats children as criminals

Move to cut minimum age of responsibility from 15 to 12 illustrates the low opinion society has of street children.

Child rights advocates demonstrate outside the House of Representatives in Manila on Jan. 22 to protest against a move to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility in the Philippines from 15 to 12. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

By Father Shay Cullen
Manila:  The Philippine Lower House is proposing to pass a law lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 years to 12.

The legislators originally wanted to reduce it to nine years but a public outcry put paid to that idea.

Still, it is not right to impute criminal liability on a 12-year-old. What knowledge and discernment do uneducated, impoverished hungry street children of that age have?

The current Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act would be a good law if it were ever properly implemented. But it hasn't been. Out of more than 100 urbanized cities and provinces that were supposed to build care homes for children, only 40 have attempted to do so.

Unfortunately, many of these supposed children's homes called Bahay Pag-asa, or House of Hope, are in reality jails for children where they languish hungry, underfed and abused.

They are cruel detention centers where children are mostly treated as criminals, held for weeks and months behind steel bars. Practically no activities, exercise, entertainment or education are provided in most of these places.

Many children in these centers suffer bullying and sexual and physical abuse by older detainees. If the minimum age of criminal liability is lowered to nine or 12, more abused children will be added to these numbers.

This we know because our work at the Preda Foundation for the past 45 years has been to rescue children and give them a happy home in an open center without guards, gates or fences.

We give children the freedom of choice to decide to stay and get educated, and 95 percent choose to stay. They are not criminals in the power of criminal syndicates as legislators assert.

It should be mandatory for every local government unit to build a real home for children under the direction of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council and to fund its operations every year.

The reality is that child detention centers in the Philippines have small cells where dozens of teenagers and small children are crammed inside. Usually there is a stinky toilet clogged with waste. The children sleep on the concrete floor.

Local governments must not put children behind bars. Children put in these horrid cells should not be allowed to testify before Congress, God forbid lawmakers might hear the truth. They have never visited a child detention center and know nothing about human suffering.

It is not true, as legislators have asserted, that children are provided with medical care and education by local governments. It is the opposite: children are treated as criminals.

Millions of pesos have supposedly been provided to implement the current law to care for children, but much of the money has gone unused or has been misspent.

Local government officials do not seem interested in building a nice, clean, well-managed home for abandoned children at risk, or in dire circumstances, or in conflict with the law. Politicians consider these children as vermin, pests, undeserving poor and throwaway creatures.

"They have criminal minds," said one official.

If a nation's reputation as a morally upright, dignified one is judged by the way it treats its poor and its neglected children, then the Philippines will get a very low score, if any at all.

National pride is absent when it comes to the plight of the Philippines' neglected street children. National dignity is also sullied and is often nowhere to be found.

Child detention in the Philippines is a horrific, unjust, undeserved punishment that is detrimental and destructive of the child.

According to the Philippine National Police, out of all recorded crimes, only 2 percent are committed by minors.

Of the offenses committed by minors, only 2 percent of crimes are committed by children under nine years of age, while children aged nine to 11 years are responsible for 7 percent.

Those from 12 to 15 years of age are responsible for 43 percent, whereas those between 15 to 18 are responsible for 48 percent of alleged wrongdoings committed by minors.

One of the biggest crimes is these children watching politicians get away with crimes of plunder while they struggle to survive one scant meal a day.

Irish Father Shay Cullen, SSC, established the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City in 1974 to promote human rights and the rights of children, especially victims of sex abuse.

Source: UCAN

Pakistani officials stop pilgrims from traveling to World Youth Day

Unsubstantiated allegations of human trafficking, drug smuggling used against young Catholics.

Pope Francis greets the crowd before celebrating Mass for World Youth Day pilgrims at St. John Paul II Field in Panama City Jan. 27, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Lahore:  A group of Pakistani Catholics were twice stopped from traveling to the World Youth Day event recently held in Panama after being accused of human trafficking and drug smuggling.

The ten pilgrims denied the unsubstantiated allegations and church officials have backed them up.

Officials from the Federal Investigation Agency stopped them from boarding a Turkish airlines flight bound for Panama at Lahore international airport first on Jan. 21.

The young Catholics tried again three days later but were again blocked and verbally harassed by officials.

Asghar Nazir, a Catholic teacher in Lahore, said officials told them that the World Youth Day was only an excuse for human trafficking and marijuana smuggling.

"We were asked questions about Pope Francis and humiliated despite producing travel verifications and supporting documents," said Nazir.

"After making us wait for three hours, they tore the boarding passes up right in front of our eyes," said the 33-year-old.

"My dreams of meeting the Pope have been crushed," he said. "I only wanted to grow more in gospel and spirituality and share my experience with local religious minorities."

Nazir took out a bank loan to fund the pilgrimage and he said the non-refundable expenses have now jeopardized his marriage plans for next month.

Catholic Church officials condemned the harassment by the immigration authorities.

Father Yaqoob Yousaf from the Catholic Youth Ministry in Lahore Archdiocese said what the pilgrims experienced was blatant discrimination.

"The pilgrims had valid visas and Church approval. Catholic youth in Pakistan already faces challenges of getting into higher education and obtaining jobs. This adds to their disappointment," Father Yousaf said.

"A small percentage of oversees Pakistanis are Christians. Foreign visas are already a challenge for our people," he said.

"Immigration officials often take money from Christian tourism groups. Strong lobbying with foreign ambassadors is needed."

Last year the Irish embassy denied visas to about 10,000 families who applied from all over the country to attend the World Meeting of Families in Dublin.

According to Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the access each country's travel document affords, the Pakistani passport remains the fifth-worst passport globally, offering its holders visa-free access to just 33 countries.

The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights for all citizen irrespective of their religion or belief. Christians, however, insist that they have long faced both deep-seated prejudice and institutionalized discrimination because of their faith.

World Youth Day was held from Jan. 22-27 with the theme of "I'm the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Lk. 1,38)."

Source: UCAN

Bangladeshi garment workers fired over wage protests

Thousands lose jobs in 'inhuman' backlash from employers after winning minimum wage increase.

A policeman chases garment workers demonstrating for a fair monthly minimum wage in the Ashulia suburb of Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Jan. 8. Thousands of workers have been fired for their alleged involvement in the wage protests. (ucanews.com photo)

Dhaka:  More than 5,000 garment workers have been fired for their alleged involvement in recent street protests over wages in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and nearby districts.

The government raised the monthly minimum wage for garment workers after weeks of labor unrest in December and January that paralyzed industrial hubs in Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj.

The new minimum monthly wage was fixed at 8,000 taka (US$95) on Jan. 13, up from 5,300 taka in 2013.

In recent weeks, thousands of workers have been fired and faced intimidation and lawsuits, according to workers and trade unionists.

Muhammad Arif, 29, a sewing operator, was among workers fired by management at FNF Trend Fashions' factory in Dhaka.

"On Jan. 17, factory management hung a list of 96 workers terminated on the entrance and issued a notice that police cases have been lodged against all. None of the workers participated in the recent unrest over the wage hike," Arif, employed in the garment industry for nearly 12 years, told ucanews.com.

"We realized the action against us was not because of the protests but because we recently enrolled in a list of workers to form a trade union in the factory. Every day and night, law enforcers patrol the area and we are living in fear.

"My wife is also a garment worker and together we run the family. Without my job it will be very difficult to manage the family and support my elderly parents at their village home."

Labor groups claim the actual number of terminated workers is about 7,000 and about 30 cases have been filed against more than 3,000 named and unnamed workers at police stations.

"Factory management say the terminations are temporary and warned workers against any action over the move in the Labor Court. Bangladeshi workers run the industry with their sweat and blood, but factory owners are largely ignorant and against the welfare of workers," Monzur Moin, international affairs secretary at the Dhaka-based Garment Workers Trade Union Center, told ucanews.com.

"Factory owners didn't like raising the minimum wage even though it is still among the lowest in the world. Moreover, they are still opposing trade unions, which they see as a threat to the ongoing exploitation of workers."

Siddiqur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said the number of fired workers is much lower than that claimed by labor groups.

"It is true some workers have been fired for involvement in unrest, violence and vandalism, but the number is much lower than being reported. Factories have every right to take punitive action against anarchy and any anti-industry motives. We have asked BGMEA members and police not to harass any innocent worker over the issue," Rahman told ucanews.com.

Holy Cross Father Liton H. Gomes, secretary of the Catholic bishops' Justice and Peace Commission, said the termination of workers was "inhuman, unjust and irrational."

"Garment factory owners have yet to become democratic and they don't want to see workers enjoy their due rights. The government needs to realize and take appropriate measures so that these burning issues are resolved, otherwise a full-blown crisis might threaten the very existence of this vital industry," Father Gomes told ucanews.com.

Bangladesh's US$25 billion garment industry is the second largest in the world after China thanks to huge investment and cheap labor.

About 5,000 garment factories employ more than four million workers, mostly poor rural women. The industry is Bangladesh's economic lifeline as the largest industrial employer and highest annual foreign exchange earner.

However, the industry has been plagued by poor labor practices, unsafe working conditions and exploitation of workers for years. Over the past two decades, more than 2,000 workers have died in factory fires and collapses including the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy that killed more than 1,100 workers.

Source: UCAN

New Mindanao prelate installed amid security threats

Archbishop Angelito Lampon replaces Cardinal Orlando Quevedo as head of Cotabato Archdiocese.

Archbishop Angelito Lampon of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, center with crozier, is installed as the new head of Cotabato Archdiocese on Jan. 30. (Photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera)

Cotabato city:  A new prelate was installed in the Archdiocese of Cotabato in the southern Philippines amid tight security on Jan. 30 following the bombing of a cathedral in Sulu province three days before.

Archbishop Angelito Lampon of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate was prelate of the Vicariate of Jolo until his installation as the new head of Cotabato Archdiocese.

"My heart is bleeding for my people, we have known them for 21 years, they became my family," said the teary-eyed prelate in an interview.

At least 21 people were killed and 97 others wounded when two bombs exploded inside the Cathedral of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo on Jan. 27.

"It's a big emotional upheaval inside, and yet my faith tells me to continue extending the hand of friendship," Archbishop Lampon told journalists following his installation.

He said he would continue working for inter-religious dialogue even as he admitted that it has been difficult to understand the violence.

Archbishop Lampon replaced the now-retired Cardinal Orlando Quevedo as head of Cotabato Archdiocese.

In his homily during the ceremony, Cardinal Quevedo said one must be "spirit-filled and spirit-driven" to be an effective bishop.

The cardinal, who served as Cotabato's prelate for two decades, endured one of the world's longest-running Muslim insurgencies.

He said that only when a bishop is "in communion with the Holy Spirit, only when the Spirit dwells in him, will he be a prophet with courage, without fear, in season and out of season."

In a region marred by tension and insecurity, he said that a shepherd must bring hope to people "who look for light in a cultural darkness and mutual biases and prejudices."

"He must lead his flock and those who are not of his flock to peace and harmony," said Cardinal Quevedo, an Oblate missionary like Archbishop Lampon.

He expressed sadness over the attack in Jolo where the Oblate missionaries have been working for the past 75 years.

He said the bombing was "a call to sobriety, a call to mutual collaboration, and not to be diffusive and confrontational."

"It is a call to unity in diversity, [which is] the foundation of our essential values [of] respect for one another," said Cardinal Quevedo.

In his message, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, papal nuncio to the Philippines, conveyed Pope Francis' support for Archbishop Lampon and his pastoral ministry.

"You are not alone. We are with you, all of us," said the pope's envoy.

Archbishop Lampon was apostolic vicar of Jolo from 1997 until November 2018 when Pope Francis appointed him as Archbishop of Cotabato.

Churchgoers had to go through a tight security cordon around the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato City to attend the installation ceremony.

Soldiers and policemen were deployed around the church and in nearby areas to ensure security.

Source: UCAN