About three dozen parishioners of Santa Bárbara de Nexe and Estoi, wearing T-shirts with the phrase “Je Suis Jesus” (I am Jesus), demonstrated this Sunday, before the inauguration mass of Canon José Pedro, against the departure of the former parish priest, Jesus Ejocha, who took office in Monchique.
Parishioners enjoyed the work carried out over the past year by the priest who, according to António Casimiro, one of the protesters, “developed life in the Church extraordinarily. People who were moving away started to come back. Churches are being reduced to empty pews and walls, because there is an intellectual rather than experiential type action. Father Jesus made that happen. People, from the youngest to the oldest, began to return satisfied to be in that environment».
The homilies of Father Jesus Ejocha, in which the priest walks through the aisles of the church questioning the parishioners, are one of the reasons for the praise of António Casimiro.
“He did homilies in which he participated with people and, with that, the community began to develop. Suddenly, in July, we are faced with the situation that he was going to be displaced from here. For us it is incomprehensible, what we want is for the work that started to continue, and for it to finish as it should be», he considers.
The disgruntled parishioners, who have already delivered to the Bishop of Algarve a petition with 500 subscribers, will even ask Pope Francis “to analyze the situation. In Portugal, only the Bishop of the Algarve can act and, since the Bishop, who is the responsible person, has done nothing, in terms of ecclesiastical organization, only the Vatican can intervene», says António Casimiro.
Despite the efforts of this group of parishioners, Father Miguel Neto, from the Information Office of the Diocese of the Algarve, says that D. Manuel Quintas' decision is "irrevocable" and that Father Jesus Ejocha "has agreed to leave".
“People have the right to demonstrate, but this departure of Father Jesus Ejocha is not an isolated act. This pastoral year, there were changes in 32 parishes. It is a change that is part of a global context to meet the needs of the Catholic Church in the diocese».
According to Miguel Neto, “Father Jesus went to replace Father José Águas who was in Monchique. At 74, he had an entire and vast county in his charge and, a year or two ago, he had a car accident. It was necessary someone with more physical strength, joy and someone who knew the land well, that was what motivated the choice of the Bishop».
For the head of communication of the diocese, "any person with intelligence understands that change is logical."
On the other hand, «the need to come here for Canon José Pedro, who was in the Cathedral, in the City of Faro, with an immense population, is related to the fact that, due to her age and physical strength, she was no longer able to meet all the needs. He comes to a smaller land, with less population, less pastoral needs and takes the place of a young man who goes to the most Christian parish in the Algarve».
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