Fr. Frazer Mascarenhas reading verses from the Koran and Bhagavad Gita during mass at St. Peter’s Church last week has triggered a debate within the community, with some members even labelling it as anti-Christ.
Fr. Frazer on Tuesday apologised, saying St. Peter’s has been making efforts to build human communities in the neighbourhood, as encouraged by the Archdiocese. “In this context, on the dual Feast of the Assumption and Independence Day, at the traditional Indian Liturgy we hold at the 10 a.m. Mass, I took the theme, ‘Giving Jesus to the world as Mary did’. This I said, entails working to establish the Kingdom of God, in collaboration with people of all faiths. Hence, I thought, respectfully bringing to mind verses from other scriptures which also speak of building human relationships as a religious duty, would be appropriate,” Fr. Frazer said in a message circulated within the community.
“I realise that the verses were not appropriate as part of the readings of the Mass and I apologise for this. However, to attribute this to the Antichrist is very shocking. Let us continue to build bridges of respect with people of other faith, while drawing our sustenance from Jesus. Without Jesus this task is impossible,” he said.
Spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Bombay, Fr. Nigel Barrett, said mass is a structured liturgical service which cannot be replaced by anything else. “Fr. Frazer has apologised for [doing so],” he said.
