Goa, India’s smallest state on the western coast, is renowned for its stunning beaches, lush landscapes, and a distinctive cultural heritage shaped by centuries of Portuguese influence. As a former colony, it retains a significant Catholic population—with iconic sites like the Basilica of Bom Jesus, home to the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier, attracting pilgrims worldwide. This blend of natural splendor and spiritual depth makes Goa a prime destination for tourism, drawing millions annually for relaxation, celebration, and even religious devotion. But after the tragedy in the night club in Arpora where 25 precious lives were lost we may ask: can we do theology? This question is related to the declaration made by Theodore Adorno who said writing poetry after the holocaust is barbaric . Maybe in Goa we have to realisticslly ask have we already descended into barbarism. This why it is important to theologize tourism after the Arpora tragedy.
From a Catholic perspective, tourism holds profound potential. The Church views leisure and travel as divine gifts, rooted in the biblical command for Sabbath rest (Exodus 20:8-11). Pope John Paul II, in Dies Domini(1998), emphasized that true rest allows contemplation of God’s creation and fosters human relationships. Pope Francis, in Laudato Si (2015), extends this to an “integral ecology,” urging respect for the environment as our common home. Tourism, when ethical, can become a modern form of pilgrimage—homo viator, the human as a wayfarer—seeking renewal, encountering the divine in nature, and building solidarity across cultures with people. In Goa,
However, Goa’s tourism industry has increasingly deviated from these ideals, prioritizing profit over people and creation. Mass tourism has fueled overdevelopment: resorts encroaching on coastal zones, pollution of rivers and beaches, and displacement of local communities, including fishing villages. The nightlife sector, with its beach shacks, parties, and clubs, often promotes excessive consumption and hedonism, clashing with Catholic moral teaching on temperance and the dignity of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This commercialization treats humans as consumers rather than bearers of God’s image (Genesis 1:27), echoing warnings against idolatry in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2112-2114).
The horrific fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, on December 6, 2025, exposes the darkest consequences of this unchecked growth. During a packed “Bollywood Banger Night,” a blaze—likely sparked by indoor electrical fireworks—rapidly engulfed the venue, killing 25 people and injuring dozens. Most victims were staff members , many migrant workers trapped in the basement kitchen, dying primarily of suffocation. Five tourists perished, including four from the same Delhi family who were on holiday. The club, built on a former salt pan with alleged illegal permissions, featured flammable decor like dried palm leaves, narrow access lanes, inadequate exits, and no proper fire safety measures. Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra reportedly fled to Thailand shortly after, highlighting a profound lack of accountability.
This tragedy manifests what Catholic social teaching calls “structural sin”—systemic injustices embedded in society (John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987). Low-wage migrant workers, often from poorer Indian states or Nepal, bore the heaviest burden, trapped in hazardous conditions while serving affluent revelers. This violates the preferential option for the poor (Gaudium et Spes, Vatican II) and the call to justice in Scripture (Amos 5:24). The venue’s violations—demolition notices ignored, safety norms flouted—reflect greed overriding the common good, condemned in CCC 2409-2414 as sins against justice.
Pope Francis’s Fratelli Tutti (2020) speaks of fraternity and encountering the stranger; tourism should facilitate this, yet in Goa’s nightlife, it frequently reduces people to objects of pleasure. The fire’s suffocation deaths evoke the sacredness of breath as God’s gift (Genesis 2:7), whose desecration is amplified by negligence and unpreparedness . Broader issues compound the crisis: environmental degradation from tourism infrastructure, water scarcity, waste dumping, and social ills like drug abuse and exploitation lurking in party scenes.
Catholic theology critiques such distortions while proposing alternatives. The 2001 Vatican Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of Tourism advocate transforming travel into opportunities for evangelization, hospitality, and sustainable development. In Asian contexts, consultations like the 2011 Chennai Statement urge viewing tourism through pilgrimage lenses: justice-focused, creation-respecting, and community-benefiting.
For Goa, this means reorienting toward authentic pilgrimage models. Enhance spiritual tourism around Catholic heritage—retreats at historic churches, eco-friendly pilgrimages blending faith and nature. Local parishes could provide pastoral support to visitors, offering sacraments amid leisure for genuine rest. Advocate sustainable practices: fair wages for workers, strict enforcement of safety and environmental regulations, and community-owned initiatives.
The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, in synodal spirit (Pope Francis’s emphasis), can lead dialogues involving stakeholders to reform the industry. Demand accountability—full investigations, compensation for victims’ families, and restorative justice (CCC 2412). Shift from exploitative mass tourism to one honoring human dignity, creation’s integrity, and God’s presence in the journey. Center for Responsible Tourism has done a yeomen work in this regard but there is a long way to go.
Goa’s allure remains a gift, but the Arpora fire—a preventable loss of 25 lives—serves as a prophetic warning. Catholic theology calls us to reclaim tourism as pilgrimage: not escapism into excess, but a path toward holiness, fraternity, and care for our common home. As St. Augustine wrote, our hearts are restless until they rest in God—may Goa’s visitors find true rest, free from tragedy’s shadow, in encounters that reflect divine love.
