Prime Minister intends to respond to letter from Bishop Gordon

At least one member of the Roman Catholic Church in St Vincent and the Grenadines intends to respond in writing to a letter from their Bishop Charles Jason Gordon, which expressed deep concern on certain matters affecting their church and society.

Prime Minister {{more}}Dr Ralph Gonsalves told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday that he has drafted a letter to Bishop Gordon about the September 7, 2014 letter Gordon wrote to the “people of God in the Diocese of Kingstown.”

Gonsalves, who is a Roman Catholic, said he spoke with the Bishop and with Monsignor Michael Stewart and told them that he intends to write a letter, and when he does, he will make it public.

The Prime Minister said in his conversations with the priests, he spoke about “the need always for us to combine human intelligence and divine inspiration and to address the issues in a manner which does not lead to falsity.”

He said there are some things which were said in the letter from the Bishop which needed to be said and others, about which they (the clergy) are wrong, and this he shared with them when they spoke.

The Bishop’s letter said for a long time, the church had failed to speak with a prophetic voice.

The letter lamented the “growing disrespect for the human person, the disregard for the environment and the increase in lawlessness, crime and violence in our nation.”

The Bishop also said social concerns, such as “those teachers who are still waiting to be reinstated, the unresolved ‘Bigger Biggs’ situation and a sense of hopelessness and fear amongst our people” continue to disturb the members of the RC clergy.

“We also remain deeply troubled by the resulting divisions within our church communities and between people of different religious persuasions; all of which lead to fragmentation within our nation. These divisions are manifestations of our inability to recognize and to accept Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life; John 14:6,” the letter said.