Attack on 'Indian spirit' will harm secular fabric: Goa

Any attack on "Indian spirit" can damage the age-old secular fabric of the country, Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao said on Friday.

He was addressing the annual civic reception on the occasion of Christmas here. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and several ministers were present on the occasion.

Though the Archbishop did not refer to any political issue, his remarks came amid the raging controversy over the amended Citizenship Act.

Anything that vitiates the genuinely "Indian spirit" can damage the "centuries-old secular fabric of our nation," he said.

"Sometimes, it (attack on Indian spirit) causes disturbances and flare-ups that can mar the peace and the tranquility among its citizens," the Archbishop said.

Goa Church will always extend "intelligent collaboration" to the government to build a society which promotes "integral development of the human in harmony with the environment" and where "the underprivileged will be treated with the compassion and respect they have a right to", Ferraro added.