Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop of Goa and Daman

Easter Message - 2007

On the occasion of yet another Feast of Easter, I am pleased to convey my cordial and warm greetings to the Christian community and to all people of goodwill in the State of Goa. Christ died on Good Friday and the hearts of those who loved him became, all of a sudden, very heavy. The thought of his lifeless body in the tomb filled them with a great sense of emptiness. But on Easter Sunday his tomb was found to be empty . and the empty hearts were filled. Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples, filling them with a new strength and a new light. This was an entirely new beginning to a people who saw nothing but the end of all their hopes. Easter indeed celebrates the triumph of Christ over death, which is the victory of God's Love over human hatred and of Truth over deceit, signalling the emergence of a new life, of a new society, indeed of a new world order. We are called to take up the challenge of Easter and actively engage ourselves in the building of a new society wherein the most valuable and cherished human values will be upheld, nurtured and lived forth. May all of us, regardless of creed or race, join together in the building of such a society, where peace, mutual respect and frank collaboration will be the hallmarks.

+ Filipe Neri Ferrão
Archbishop of Goa and Daman

Archbishop's House, Panjim, April 7, 2007