Chico Monteiro

Fr. Chico Monteiro was born on February 1, 1918 in Goa, then a Portuguese colony. He is greatly known for his well-publicized defiance of the edict of the Indian government (after their takeover of Goa in the 1960's) that all residents must either acquire Indian citizenship or emigrate to Portugal. Conferred the title of Monsignor by Pope Pius XII, “Fr. Chico”, as he humbly continued to call himself, refused to surrender his Portuguese passport and firmly took a stand which echoed the tenets laid down by the Geneva Convention.

Chico was put on trial and represented by Queen Elizabeth's personal counsel, Sir Edward Lucas Gardner. After 5 years of trial and appeal in the lower courts, Chico Monteiro was finally convicted for his defiance of Indian rule and sentenced by the Supreme Court of India. He spent a year in solitary confinement in the maximum security jail in Patiala, Punjab, before the Holy See in Rome intervened for his release. In a quid pro quo, Chico was exchanged for Dr. Telo Mascarenhas (a political activist who had supported the Indian government against the Portuguese in Goa and who had been deported to Portugal in 1959 and jailed there in the Peniche penitentiary).

Early life

The youngest of five siblings, Chico Monteiro was born in Candolim, Goa, on February 1, 1918, and baptized as Sebastiao Francisco Xavier dos Remedios Monteiro. His parents, Jose and Maria-Helena Monteiro, were both devout Catholics. In 1802, the 'Monteiro Family' was honoured by the Portuguese King, Dom Joao VI with a "brazao"(coat of arms) for their dedication to the Church and the local community.

On October 3, 1942, Chico was ordained a priest and in 1957, was conferred the title of Monsignor by Pope Pius XII.

Trial and Solitary Confinement

Goa was a Portuguese colony for about 450 years until it was seized on December 19, 1961 by the Indian Armed Forces in a brief military action. In 1962, the President of India legislated an Ordinance whereby, Goans had the option of either becoming Indian citizens, retain Portuguese nationality by registering themselves as foreigners, or in the alternative, emigrate to Portugal.

Chico initially opted to register himself as a foreigner and obtained a temporary residential permit which allowed him to reside in India until November 13, 1964. However, when his residential permit expired on November 13, 1964, he refrained from renewing it. This automated a deportation order issued by the Lt. Governor of Goa to exit the country. Chico defied the order on the grounds that he was protected by the Geneva Conventions Act which was first adopted in 1864 and ratified in 1949. This defiance led to legal proceedings against Chico towards deportation.

The trial gained notoriety and it was the Indian Government this time which suddenly found itself coming under judicial scrutiny and going on the defensive. The trial also aroused the interest of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, then President of Portugal.

Portugal appointed Queen Elizabeth's personal counsel, Sir Edward Lucas Gardner, to represent Chico. While the case wended its way through the trial and appellate courts, Chico remained in judicial custody in Goa. Finally, on March 26, 1969, the Supreme Court of India upheld the deportation order issued by the trial court and Chico was sentenced to solitary confinement in a maximum security jail in Patiala, Punjab.

Chico spent a year in solitary confinement before the Holy See intervened for his release. In a quid pro quo, Chico was exchanged for Dr Telo Mascarenhas, a political activist who had supported the Indian government against the Portuguese in Goa, who was then arrested in 1959, deported to Portugal and incarcerated in the Peniche penitentiary.

Centennial

February 1, 2018, will mark Chico Monteiro's birth centennial. The Fr. Chico Monteiro Memorial Trust will be releasing a a book chronicling his life and works.

References:

• Rev. Mons. Sebastiao Francisco Xavier dos Remedios Monteiro v. The State of Goa, Supreme Court of India

• Rev. Mons. Sebastiao Francisco Xavier dos Remedios Monteiro v. State of Goa, Supreme Court of India, 26 March 1969

• The Case of Fr. Chico Monteiro

• Padre Chico Monteiro

• The Brave Fr. Chico Monteiro Who Never Surrendered His Citizenship

• St. Francis Grant us a Miracle

• The “Caitu Syndrome”

• Goa Illegally occupied by India

• Brazão of do Rosario Barreto’s Goa India

• Goa Liberation Movement