Goa Church asks Catholics to pray for Parrikar’s health

Panaji : Goa’s Roman Catholic Church has asked its followers to fervently pray for the good health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, hospitalised at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital since February 15 for pancreas-related ailment.

In a statement here, Goa’s Archbishop Filip Neri Ferrao asked Goa’s Catholics to “pray for the fast recovery of our ailing Chief Minister”.

He has also appealed to the community to raise fervent prayers for Parrikar’s good health.

Catholics account for more than 25 per cent of Goa’s 1.5 million population.

While the Chief Minister’s Office and Lilavati Hospital have insisted that Parrikar, a former Defence Minister, is responding well to treatment, he failed to attend the ongoing Assembly Budget Session, giving rise to speculation on the severity of his ailment.

IANS