When I first met her last week, she reminded me of my dear late grandmother. She did not say much but wore a worried frown on her face (see photo).
Tonight, I received news that she had passed away just after 8.00pm on the way to the hospital, after complaining of pain in her back and hand. She had not been feeling well for some time.
Widow Santhosa Mary @ Manimathu, 74, lived among the tenant-villagers at the St Francis Xavier’s Church along Penang Road. They had been given a 31 May deadline to sign an agreement to vacate their homes. The Church, through its lawyers, wanted the villagers to accept RM10,000 in compensation and leave by 31 May 2010. If they failed to accept these terms, they had to leave by yesterday, Pentecost Sunday.
As the deadline to accept the terms approached, Manimathu grew anxious, according to one of the villagers.
“What will happen to us after that?” she was heard telling several villagers. “Which house can I go to?”
In the midst of this controversy between the church and the villagers, it looks as if God has now intervened.
Manimathu was the wife of the late Mr Selva, a foreman at the now defunct Straits Echo. She had lived in the village since 1949.
See also: ‘Penang Church not selling land to hotel’ in The Star today.
Annon, it’s not a case of the Church against the families. It’s certain personalities within it, rather than the Church per se. With Anil’s kind indulgence, I’ll reproduce a posting I made elsewhere in this site some days ago, which amply illustrates what I mean.
This is from the 19.04.09 church bulletin, from The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Pulau Tikus, Penang. Read between the lines for a bigger picture.
“Very often we priests hear of things happening in the Church, only after the fact, i.e. when your Bishop decided to sell part of the land in the compound of St. Francis Xavier, it was only after the sale that we heard about it… and we had to take the flak from you, the people.
Our Church teaches/preaches transparency but often forgets to practise it… could be partly the fault of us, the priests and you the Laity… we do not question our “superiors” enough, or we try a few times and when we are not listened to, we give up. This is one way in which we encourage
injustice/evil.
I have been hearing rumours that our Bishops are wanting to sell part of College General lands ‐ is it the Bishops or Propaganda Fidei (The Propagation of Faith), in the Vatican?
What are we going to do ‐ especially when the Penang people are trying so desperately to preserve what green remains in Penang and we are faced with the evils of hillside developments. Another rumour is that College General is to be leased out… remember what happened to Wisma Uskop, which was built for you, with much of your money! Look into these rumours, and if true, see what could be done.. Godbless.”
The Church then, is an organisation with a layered structural hierarchy. It is run by men. Whether holy or haughty, pious or petty, wise or unwise, driven by love or by ambition, liable to mistakes and full of foibles and follies, or inspired and directed by God… you decide. As the Lord said, by its fruit can you judge the tree.
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Dear reader,
1.One more person also very sick at the village now.Very Soon will expired.So the next blame goes to bishop too.Pls beware the person face alot of suffering from the family memmbers…
2. The families are staying generation by generation.They have thier own properties.No one there are poor peeple.All of them have thier own houses.All the houses are rented to outsider.The reason why they do want to leave the place because the place is very convinient and also very cheap renting.
3. The church did so much for them but they are very ungrateful pepole.Only god can judge them.For ur information the disadvantage:
a) alot of drugs exchanging
b) every celebration there will be a big party going on infront of the church and also sleeping when they are over drunk and also fighting each other.
4.They fight for the catholic church land but they are going to different mission like serve at the temple,jeohvah witness,worshiping the charm(BOMOH).Do you think they are still have to diserve the land???and also convert to other religion.This land rented for only catholic people.
5. All the golden people pls “LISTEN” dont worried about your shelter.Where is your Houses??Why you all ask your children to rent your own houses??Pls ask them back your property..
THIS IS MY HUMBLE REQUEST
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The church, (and some of) the clergy and Bishops are the same as the Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked in the Gospels:
Mark 12:40
“They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!”.
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Y-goreng-me
I was under the impression that only the BN Government rob the poor rakyat of their bare necessities.
Now the Church authorities mainly the head of the Catholic Church in Penang has jumped into the bandwagon to torment and thumb down the poor.
O GOD! Have Mercy!
Don’t the saying “Charity Begins at Home” hold any water at all even in the Catholic Church?
I think it is time for the Head – the Bishop to retire…
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Dear writer,
Its wrong to blame the bishop as you know if every Roman catholic wants to occupy the church land then the church will have no land . even the western road cemetery is full. I don’t think what the writer knows what is going on there in the Francis Xavier church land.so let the Bishop decide what is right.
its better others keep off the church business no outsider intervention.
order miltia templi.
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anne brella perhaps you should go investigate yourself and if your investigation does not serve you, go and take the church to court. I was laughing reading your post with all the questions. Just to inform you, the church existed in Tanah Melayu for the past almost 500 years solidly so perhaps your questions have been answered already. And also the church run on donations even Vatican. I am still laughing haha
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Everyone knows the church is rich. RM10,000 will get you nowhere in finding a new home. Especially since they are all retired. How heartless can the Church get. They should be practising what they preach – all that stuff about loving your neighbour and charity. What hypocrites.
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Greg,
Your comments make an utter mockery of the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
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