Two male students of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani,
Goa, were reprimanded on accusation of desecrating the Holy Communion
during a mass at Our Lady of Snows Church, Rachol, in South Goa on
Sunday.
According to church authorities, the students, from
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, had joined the mass on Mar 5 and entered
the communion procession thinking it is the “prasad” of Christian
faith. The duo later claimed they were not familiar with Catholic
worship.
As they did not like the taste, one of them spat it out
and tried to cover it with mud outside the church, while the other held
it in his hands. They were stopped by some church-goers who brought this
action to the notice of the parish priest, Fr. Eremito Rebello.
On
finishing the mass, the priest tried to calm down the people. He tried
to contact the guardians of the students.However, they could not be
reached, even after nearly three hours. The priest then approached the
police.
The boys asked forgiveness and gave a written apology at
the Margao police station. Their guardians also apologised for the
incident.
Fr. Victor Ferrao said, “It being the season of lent, Fr. Rebello forgave them. He also sought to meet the parents of the boys.”
South Goa SP Chandan Chowdhary said the issue was amicably settled.