The Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, has urged the Centre to “immediately and unconditionally revoke the Citizenship (Amendment) Act” and stop quashing the “right to dissent”. He also appealed to the government not to implement the proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.

Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media, a wing of the Goa Church, in a statement on Saturday said: “The Archbishop and the Catholic community of Goa would like to appeal to the government to listen to the voice of millions in India, to stop quashing the right to dissent and, above all, to immediately and unconditionally revoke the CAA and desist from implementing the NRC and the NPR.”

The CAA, NRC and NPR are “divisive and discriminatory”, the church said. “We have always taken great pride that our beloved country is a secular, sovereign, socialist, pluralistic and democratic republic.” The fact that the CAA uses religion goes against the secular fabric, it said.

“It goes against the spirit and heritage of our land which, since times immemorial, has been a welcoming home to all, founded on the belief that the whole world is one big family,” the church said.