PANAJI
The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) has condoled the death of Fr Desmond de Sousa, a Redemptorist priest in Goa who had been at the forefront of several people’s movements through the years.
“The council owes a genuine debt of gratitude for his tireless efforts towards promoting the ‘immersion’ of the Gospel and the local churches in the Goan realities. He was committed in solidarity to the Goan people’s life experiences and their struggles,” CSJP’s Fr Savio Fernandes said.
Fr Desmond was an inspiration to activists in Goa by his involvement in the struggles of the traditional fishermen and in the campaign for the rights of migrant domestic workers.
Fr Desmond served as the Executive Secretary in the office of Evangelisation in the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference (FABC), and is known for his work against the evils prevalent in Third World Tourism and tourism related child prostitution.
“Recently, he was also involved in training the local communities to analyse Human Development in Goa as part of the CSJP initiative for promoting Responsible Citizenship. His demise is a great loss to the social justice struggle of the Church in Goa and his contribution will be ever remembered in Goan society,” Fr Savio added while conveying his sincerest condolences to the Redemptorist community and Fr Desmond’s family.
