Panaji, June 27 (IANS): Goa Archbishop Filile Neri Ferrao on Saturday said "clouds of fear and insecurity" were looming large over the minorities in the country while expressing solidarity with a 48-year-old Catholic nun from Raipur who was gang raped on June 19.

In a statement issued here, Ferrao also said it was disappointing that the culprits responsible for the sexual assault were not nabbed as yet.

"We also pray that the clouds of fear and insecurity looming large on the minority communities throughout our country may be dispelled and that we may soon live in an atmosphere of freedom, peace and justice," said Ferrao.

"This dastardly act causes revulsion all the more as it was carried out on a person who was dedicated to the service of the poor and the lower middle class people. We are disappointed that the culprits were not yet nabbed," Ferrao said.

Ferrao heads the Roman Catholic Church in Goa, an influential religious institution considering that nearly 26 percent of the state's population is Catholic.