Claiming the Right to Say No-30 Nov 09-EQUATIONS - Equitable ...

Theologizing Tourism: Towards a Pastoral Care of Tourism
policy, peoples’ moment is on sharp rise and this free movement continues
to expose them to high risk social behaviours like causal sex, nudism,
drunkenness, paedophilia, trafficking of girls and women etc.
St. Paul while treating the theme of immorality in his first letter to the
Thessalonians, exhorts the Thessalonian community to abstain themselves
from immoral behaviour and to have control over lustful passions (1Thes
4:3-4) and in his first letter to the Corinthians he reminds the Corinthian
community that their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19).
Today this voice of St. Paul is being heard through the cry of all those
who are morally abused in the guise of employment opportunities created
by the tourism industry. Are we ready to be the voice of the voiceless and
fight for the cause of unjust sufferers thereby restoring the moral values
back in its proper place?
D. Social Values
Goa over the years has been unjustly looted of its land. Holiday homes,
hostels, pubs etc have come up. The best of things, food and fish goes to
the hotels to satisfy tourists’ wants and the Goans eat the rest. It is a
situation like taking or snatching children’s food and throwing it to the
dogs, which is absolutely unfair.
Faith Response: Amos 5:24-25; Mt. 25:40;
In Biblical times we see God appointed various Prophets like Jeremiah,
Amos, etc. but one of the famous pioneers in social justice is Prophet
Amos, who is remembered as the greatest champion of the poor and the
oppressed. All the while he angrily detected the flagrant injustices of society:
extensive international commerce for the benefit of the wealthy, deceitful
business practices not only to cheat the defenceless poor but also to seize
their land, the amazing of natural resources for sensual pleasure. In
today’s society we see the similar injustice that is prevailing in Goa due to
tourism. The Church with its Prophetic voice, fought against injustice done
to the oppressed. Pope Leo XIII in ‘Centesimus Annus’, No. 11 speaks
on justice and state’s role to solve every social problem. The Goan Synodal
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