Parrikar's comment triggered controversy, especially because Catholics were seen to have voted for the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) during the March 2012 elections, putting an end to the eight-year Congress regime in the state.
Catholics account for a shade less than 30 percent of the state's population and are a key vote bank.
Pacheco's Goa Vikas Party has two legislators in the 40-member state legislative assembly.
