Archbishop of Goa wishes people on Ganesh Chaturthi

Panaji, Sep 7 (PTI) The Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, on Saturday extended greetings to the citizens of the state on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, wishing that the festival strengthens and renews fraternal bonds.

He also urged people to work unitedly towards building an "integrated nation where every citizen is valued, respected and provided equal opportunities".

"On this auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, I, along with Auxiliary Bishop Simiao Fernandes and all the Catholic faithful of this Archdiocese, would like to convey warm and joyful greetings to every member of the Hindu community in this state," he said in a message.

This festival calls for removal of obstacles, growth in wisdom and respect for all, creating a peaceful environment for enjoying prosperity, dignity and for promoting socio-cultural integrity, he said.

"I would like to recall the words uttered by Pope Francis at the meeting of different religious leaders that took place during his just-concluded visit to Indonesia, wherein he said - 'By looking deeply, we discover that we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on our way to God, beyond what differentiates us'," he said.

Fr Ferrao said he wishes that this festival becomes an occasion for everyone to strengthen and renew the fraternal bonds that always existed in Goa and to work together towards building an integrated nation where every citizen is valued, respected and provided equal opportunities.

"I wish our Hindu brethren a joyous Ganesh Chaturthi and invoke God's blessings upon them," he added. PTI RPS NP