Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza has been invited to join the Indian delegation led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to attend the Canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in the Vatican on September 4.
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Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao is currently on a visit in Europe and he will also attend the canonisation ceremony in the Vatican, while a number of Goans are also attending the historic event through special package tours.
According to media reports, the official Indian delegation includes Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, an MLA from Goa, and two MPs from the Northeast.
The identity of the Goan MLA was initially not known and the government had belatedly realized that none of the delegation, except for the Goan MLA, in the initial list is a Catholic, prompting the Centre to revise the list.
“The initial list had some issues. We realised it as we got reminders asking about the delegation,’’ an official, involved in the process, was quoted in a New Indian Express report.
The Goan then tried to get in touch with the six Catholic BJP legislators, to confirm if either of them had been included in the delegation.
When contacted, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo ruled out his presence in the list, stating that he was not aware of any Goan MLA in the delegation. Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo also said he knew nothing about the list and added he was not informed in the matter. Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral also said he was not aware of the delegation.
