Goa Church magazine asks Christians to understand Diwali festival better

Ahead of the upcoming Diwali festivities, 'Renovacao' an official magazine of the influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa has urged Christians to understand the festival better, along with understanding the symbolism of a cow as a bond between humans and ecology.

An editorial piece in the latest edition of the magazine has also said that Christians need not participate in the religious and faith dimensions of the festival, but could indulge in its social and cultural aspects.

“Although Diwali is a festival celebrated by the Hindu Community, we as Christians can share in their celebration and joy. The Christian could move further from the mere ritual of the festival to a better knowledge and understanding of the festival. The Christian could discover the richness of the symbolism, which crosses the boundaries of religion,” the magazine's editor Fr Aleixo Menezes has said in his piece 'Lead, Kindly Light...'.

“The Christians need not participate in the religious and faith dimension of the festival but they can surely participate in the social and cultural dimension of the festival... Hence, people from different faiths should get themselves together for better bonding and understanding as humans and citizens,” Menezes also said.

Commenting on the symbolism of the cow in the festival, the editorial said: "The cow was an important animal for the farming community. The cow ploughed their fields, gave them milk to drink, pulled their carts, gave manure from the dung, etc. The cow symbolised everything that human beings used for their sustenance and growth. It symbolised the bond that exists between humans and ecology. Hence, Diwali could be considered as a celebration of respect and protection of nature".

Interestingly, editorial content published in the 'Renovacao' had stirred controversy in 2017, when an article published in the Church-run magazine likened the Bharatiya Janata Party's rule in India to Nazi-led Germany. The article had attracted a sharp rebuke from then BJP Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar.

'Renovacao' is widely circulated among Church-going Catholic families in the state, where Christians account for nearly 26% of the state's 1.5 million population.