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'We
have grown to respect him'
Some
Caribbean Church leaders' views on Bishop Gilbert's new appointment
Archbishop Edgerton Clarke of
Kingston, President of the Antilles Episcopal Conference
I think that Bishop Gilbert fits very well the
criteria for a new Archbishop which had been prepared by the local Church.
He has wide experience as an Administrator since he served for two terms
as Provincial Superior in his Redemptorist Congregation. He is an academic
also and he is well qualified in Canon Law. He has also had plenty of
pastoral experience.
He had to adjust to the situation in the Caribbean
but he has been in the region since 1994, and when we have our Antilles
Episcopal Conference meetings I find that he has a good grasp of the local
situation.
Among the regional bishops he has been a leader in
the field of catechetics and also in everything to do with the regional
seminary since he was a seminary rector for some time. I am looking
forward to working still more closely with him in the Bishops' Conference.
Archbishop Kelvin Felix of
Castries, St Lucia
I am glad that the period of waiting in Trinidad and
Tobago is over and I want to assure you all that we in Castries are
praying for you and for your new Archbishop. It is going to be a hard act
to follow Archbishop Pantin but I know that Bishop Gilbert has many fine
qualities both as an administrator and a pastor.
I am sure that there will be some negative reactions
to the fact that he is a foreigner; he faced a similar problem when he
first arrived in Dominica but was able to get over it. I know however that
these sentiments are more pronounced in Trinidad and this must be taken
into account. But if people rally round we will be able to get past that
barrier. He will certainly have the full support of all of us in the
Antilles Episcopal Conference
Monsignor Eustace Thomas,
Administrator of Holy Family Cathedral
We have grown to like Bishop Gilbert over the past
few years. There was some opposition to him at first but once things
settled down he came to be well accepted by all. He is a very good
administrator and he has worked hard to encourage local clergy and laity.
He appointed a lay woman as chancellor of the diocese, Noeliva Le Blanc
who studied theology for three years in the Seminary of St John Vianney.
We will miss Bishop Gilbert but we are glad to share him with Trinidad and
Tobago. Can we expect that Trinidad will send us a bishop in return!
Fr Reginald La Fleur, parish
priest of
St Alphonsus Church, Goodwill, Roseau.
Bishop Gilbert has been a great supporter of the
local clergy. Through his experience of the Church in the USA he has seen
the importance of us making suitable arrangements for our upkeep in areas
such as insurance, retirement and pension benefits. All this has been a
new and very welcome development for us.
He is a hard worker who is always on the job and can
be depended on to stand up for what is right in every area of national
life.
At first we found it difficult to accept a foreigner
as bishop but as the years have gone on we have grown to respect him. I am
sure he will do well in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.
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