Goan Catholic
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 India (1954) |
1,000,000 |
| →Goa (2001) | more than 300,000 |
| →Mumbai (1960s) | ~100,000 |
 Portugal
|
80,000~100,000 |
| →Nairobi (prior to the 1960s) | ~5000 |
 Uganda (1931) |
~1124 |
| →Kampala (1931) | ~500 |
→ Tanganyika (1931) |
~1,722 |
| →Dar es Salaam (1993) | 700 |
 Pakistan (1954) |
~30,000 |
| →Karachi (1954) | ~10,000 |
 Persian Gulf Arab states
|
~20,000 |
 Canada (1999) |
~23,000 |
| →Ontario (1999) | ~16,000 |
| →London | >6,000 |
| →Swindon (2001) | ~9,000 |
| Languages | |
| Konkani | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Roman Catholicism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Konkani people, Karwari Catholics, Mangalorean Catholics, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins, Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, Daivadnya Brahmins, Indo-Aryans | |
The Goan Catholics (Konkani: Goenche Katholik) are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics and their descendants from the state of Goa, located on the west coast of India. They are people of the Konkan Coast and speak the Konkani language. Portuguese seafarers arrived in Goa in 1510, and Catholic missionary activities soon followed, as Pope Nicholas V had enacted the Papal bull Romanus Pontifex in 1455, which granted the patronage of the propagation of the Christian faith in Asia to the Portuguese.
The Edict of the Goa Inquisition and the Portuguese–Maratha wars are notable events in their history which led to the migration of many Goan Catholics to neighboring regions, especially Mangalore. Most Goans remained in their homeland and converted to Christianity. Their Feni, a native liquor, distinct Portuguese-Goan cuisine and various contributions to music as well as literature are well-known. Goan Catholics have also served many top ranking government institutions across the world, two of the notable being the current Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa and the British MP, Keith Vaz.
The culture of the Goan Catholics is a blend of Indian-Hindu and Portuguese-Christian cultures, with the latter having a more dominant role due to Goa being a part of Portugal for over 450 years. The notion of Goan identity as a distinct culture among other Luso-Asians or Luso-Indian cultures was forged into India after the annexation of Goa in 1961. However, contemporary Goan-Catholic culture can be best described as an increasingly Anglicized Indo-Latin culture and is widely seen as distinct, both in India and the rest of the world. The Goan Catholic diaspora is concentrated in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the Lusophone world, especially Portugal, and the Anglophone world, especially United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States. Many Goan Catholics speak English as their first language and their ability to easily integrate and absord other cultures is widely appreciated. Music is an integral part of their lifestyles and Goa has produced famed musicians like Lorna Cordeiro and Remo Fernandes.
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Wikipedia