Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão has asked all eligible Catholic voters in Goa to vote on May 7 at the Lok Sabha polls and support candidates who have secular credentials and will uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution. He has also asked Catholics to put voting on May 7 ahead of vacations or pilgrimages.
For the elections to be truly successful, Cardinal Ferrão also asked parish priests, chaplains, and superiors of religious houses in Goa to organize special prayer services on May 3 and/or May 5. The letter, titled “Vote…You Must,” was sent on Monday to the clergy, religious, and faithful in Goa as well as to people of good will.
“It is universally recognised, especially in a democracy, that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual, guided by a properly formed conscience,” he said.
Cardinal Ferrão saw it as his bounden duty as the Head of the Church in Goa to call the attention of Church members to the fact that, in the Catholic Tradition, “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation”, a quotation he attributed to Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ (November 2023).
According to Cardinal Ferrão, responsible behavior and active engagement from citizens are essential for a nation to grow.
“Participating in nation-building and forming the moral character of society is an essential component of the mission that the Church has been given by Jesus Christ; it is a requirement of our faith.”
In keeping with this attitude, all eligible Catholic voters are urged to exercise their right to vote on May 7 by supporting candidates with secular credentials who genuinely want to serve the interests of all people and preserve the principles outlined in our Constitution.
