Benaulim laity force parish priest to resign

COLVA: Tensions ran high on Monday at Benaulim when parishioners of Holy Trinity church cornered parish priest Fr Lourdino Anthony Rodrigues, forcing him to resign. Friction had been growing between Rodrigues and the parishioners for a while.
Mediator tried to find solution to break tension
Parishioners alleged that the priest would not take people into confidence before making administrative decisions. They said despite several discussions about the practices and services in the church, he would not pay heed to their opinions. It finally came to a head when some parishioners, who are close to the priest, allegedly lodged police complaints against certain people.
Benaulim has two parishes and the parish priest of the other church, Fr Lucio, was brought in for mediation. A meeting of five parishioners, the parish priest and the mediator took place on Monday. As the meeting reached an impasse, hundreds of parishioners converged outside the church. A large police contingent also made an appearance at the scene.
As the parishioners’ committee came out of the meeting at 1.30pm, people barged into the church office demanding Rodrigues’ resignation from their church. The parishioners dispersed only after the priest signed the letter.