Two male students of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Goa, landed in the soup for allegedly disrespecting the Holy Communion during a mass at Our Lady of Snows Church, Rachol, in South Goa on Sunday.
According to church authorities, the students, from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, had joined the mass and entered the communion procession thinking it is the “prasad” of Christian faith. The duo later claimed they were not familiar with Catholic worship.
As they did not like the taste of the bread and wine, one of them spat it out and tried to cover it with mud outside the church, while the other held it in his hands. They were stopped by some church-goers who brought this action to the notice of the parish priest, Fr. Eremito Rebello.
On finishing the mass, the priest tried to calm down the people. He tried to contact the guardians of the students, however, they could not be reached, even after nearly three hours. The priest then approached the police.
The boys asked forgiveness and gave a written apology at the Margao police station. Their guardians also apologised for the incident.
Fr. Victor Ferrao said, “It being the season of lent, Fr. Rebello forgave them. He also sought to meet the parents of the boys.”
South Goa SP Chandan Chowdhary said the issue was amicably settled.
