Church expresses regret over priest's 'hate speech'; probe on

An inquiry has been launched by poll officials in Goa into an alleged hate speech given by a Christian priest against the BJP even as the Goa Church has expressed "regret" over his statement.

South Goa District Election Officer Ajit Roy has begun the inquiry on directions of Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kunal.

A video of the priest from South Goa addressing some people inside a church has gone viral on social media.

In the clip, the priest, who is speaking in Konkani, is seen criticising the BJP, party president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

The BJP's Goa unit had lodged a complaint against the priest on Sunday.

"We are inquiring into the complaint. Right now we are going through the content of the tape," Roy told PTI.

He further said the authorities will first check the origin of the tape, as part of the inquiry process.

A complaint was also filed by a local resident, who alleged that through his speech, the priest was spreading hatred and also violated the model code of conduct (MCC).

The BJP had claimed that the video clip shows "a religious priest addressing people within the building of a religious institution and creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party".

Meanwhile, the Goa Church has expressed regret over "pain or hurt" caused by the remarks of the priest.

"It is regretted that the Parish Priest of Raia, while addressing his parishioners recently, has made some objectionable statements about a specific political party as well as individuals of that party," Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media has said in a statement released here.

"Before elections to the Assembly or Parliament, the Church in Goa issues guidelines to its priests to encourage their parishioners to fulfill their duty to vote for the candidate or party that will better safeguard the interests of our state and nation," it said.

The Church also said that priests are advised not to mention in public any names of candidates or of political parties.

"The concerned priest in this case has been cautioned to refrain from making such statements," the statement said.

Polling will be held for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa on April 23.