Mangalore, 28 November 2011: Dr Christy Leon Fernandez, IAS, Secretary to the President of India Honourable Prathiba Patil expressed concern for the minorities and especially towards the Christians during his meeting with Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore on Sunday 27th of November in the Bishop’s House of Mangalore.
He said that minorities should be very cautious lest there should be laws and legislations endangering the existence of minorities and their rights.
He was honoured by the Bishop of Mangalore on behalf of the Christians of Mangalore. ‘I am very much impressed by the spiritual geography of central Milagres Church of Mangalore. I will carry a picture of Our Lady of Miracles and add to my collection of unique pictures and statues of Mother Mary’ said art lover Dr Fernandez.
Dr Fernandez is a Christian originally from Cochin. Dr Fernandez is a 1973 Gujarat cadre Indian Administrative Service officer. He is holding the top bureaucratic post in Rashtrapati Bhawan since 2007 July immediately after the present President had taken charge of the office. He was the Tourism Secretary in the central government for four years before being appointed as the Secretary to the President.
Even though he was due for retirement in June 2009, he has been asked by the President to continue as her secretary till her tenure is completed in mid 2012.
PRO Fr William Menezes, president of Rachana Marcel Monteiro, president of Konkanni Prachar Sanchalan Roy Castelino, Christian lay leaders Walter D’Souza, Melwyn P. Noronha, Fr Rithesh Rodrigues and others were present on the occasion.