Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, has called upon Catholics to cast their votes on May 7, 2024, and select a candidate with secular credentials.
He stated this in a circular addressed to the clergy, the religious and the faithful and and exhorted them they must.
Stating that as head of the Church in Goa it is his bounden duty to call the attention of the Church members to the fact that, in the Catholic Tradition, “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation”, Ferrao has appealed to ‘every eligible voter to participate in the democratic process by casting the vote, not only as a right, but chiefly as a duty towards the nation’ and also recognise that ‘our vote is our irreplaceable personal contribution to the good of our country’.
Quoting from the Vatican Council II document which says, ‘Every citizen ought to be mindful of his right and his duty to promote the common good by using his vote’, Ferrao said, “In the light of this teaching of the Church, it is clear that Catholics moving out with family and friends on a holiday or even going on a pilgrimage on election day, thereby abstaining from the responsibility of participating in the voting process on the May 7, 2024, would be not only doing a disservice to the nation, but failing seriously in their important civic responsibility.”
He called upon Catholics to refrain from taking a train journey on May 6 to Vailankanni and instead book a trip for any other Monday, as there is a train to the pilgrimage centre every Monday.
“In case a booking has already been made, it is certainly worth losing some money by way of cancellation charges for the sake of the greater good and the sacred duty of exercising one’s franchise on election day and thus being positively responsible towards the greater good of the nation,” he said.
Stating that the growth of a nation is dependent on its citizens’ active participation and responsible behaviour, he said it is the Church’s obligation to participate in nation-building and in shaping the moral character of the society.
“It is in this spirit that all eligible Catholic voters need to exercise their franchise on the May 7, 2024, casting their vote for persons with secular credentials, who are truly committed to work for the good of all the people and to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution. As a Church, we also have a bounden duty to pray for our country, which we all do on every Sunday at Mass,” he said in the circular.
He also send forth a call for special organised prayers and requested parish priests, chaplains and superiors of religious houses in Goa to organise special prayer services on May 3 and/or May 5, ‘for the genuine success of the elections’.
“Let us entrust our nation to Mother Mary, on whose Feast of Assumption our country gained Independence. Let us seek her assistance to remain faithful to her Son Jesus as responsible citizens of our beloved nation,” Ferrao concluded.
