Missionary priests from Indian archdiocese face changing challenges

Published: 2003-10-27

PANAJI, India (CNS) -- The Goa and Daman Archdiocese still sends priests overseas as missionaries, as it has for centuries, but the situations these priests face have changed greatly. Goa, on the west Indian coast, was a Portuguese colony from 1510 to 1961. During that time it supplied priests the world over, especially to former Portuguese colonies such as Brazil and Angola, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. In recent months, the archdiocese has sent more than a dozen priests to Europe and the United States at the request of the Vatican. Father Antonio Joaquim Loiola Pereira, secretary to Archbishop Raul Gonsalves, said at least 70 priests in the archdiocese have served long stretches overseas, with another 30 serving shorter assignments. He said 54 bishops -- including 25 still living -- have been of Goan origin. They have served in Africa, Europe and Asia.

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