The Goa Church has condoled the demise of Manohar Parrikar, claiming that the chief minister sometimes sought its opinion before taking "far-reaching decisions for the benefit of the state".

Parrikar (63) died on Sunday evening at his residence near here after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.

"We acknowledge gratefully the respect and consideration he had for the church authorities in this state," Archbishop of Goa and Daman Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao said in a condolence message on Sunday.

"He would sometimes seek their opinion before coming out with far-reaching decisions for the benefit of the state," Ferrao said.

"His appreciation for the contribution of the Catholic educational institutions in Goa was well-known," he said.

The archbishop said the church was grateful to him for helping organise the last two Expositions of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier in Old Goa and for creating a lasting infrastructure there.

Ferrao said Parrikar's passing away is a great loss to the people of Goa.

"As the chief minister of Goa, he showed great acumen in the political administration of the state and was always considerate towards the developmental needs of the people of this land," he added.

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