The indefinite suspension of Grenadian Roman Catholic priest Father Gerard Paul is not about his statement on Gaza but rather for his lack of respect for the Church, Bishop of the Diocese of St George’s in Grenada Clyde Harvey has said.
In light of the firestorm of controversy that followed the announcement of suspension of the priest over the weekend, Harvey said it seems that his comments have been misinterpreted.
“I wish to state the following, Father Gerard Paul has not been suspended because of what he has said about Gaza,” he said in a statement.
“His sentiments have been echoed by many in and out of the Catholic Church. The church is very concerned and [continues] to speak out about the unjust situations in the world including Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti, and Sudan while being active in caring for persons in the midst of these situations.”
The Catholic Church leader gave the real reason why the priest was suspended.
“Father Gerard Paul has been suspended because of his continuing lack of respect for the church of which he is a priest and his pronouncements have often strayed from the truth,” he stated.
“When challenged about that, he does not correct his errors nor seem to care about such corrections.”
Bishop Harvey said the media focused on the Gaza issue and have not been able to point out that there were other issues involved.
“Over the past ten days, Father Paul has expressed his views in ways that seem to mock authority,” he remarked.
“Respect for authority is one of the pillars of civilized society. When such respect is undermined without being addressed, the end result can only be a total breakdown of society. This applies to all sectors.”
He went on to clarify the difference between the suspension of a priest and dismissal from the priesthood.
“Suspension, however long it may be, is always with a view to fraternal correction,” he explained.
“It is our hope, that Father Paul will listen to that call. Our diocese considers him a brother priest and we are willing to assist him in [seeking] the necessary help that he needs. We continue to pray that the Risen Lord will guide us in the days ahead.”
Meanwhile, it is being reported that the matter has divided the church in Grenada. According to The New Today news portal, some are questioning Bishop Harvey’s authority to make such a decision.
“He does not have the power to do such. He needs to go. Petition from tomorrow,” one person was quoted as saying.
Another called for the boycott of the Catholic Church in Grenada.
“We as Catholics in Grenada should boycott the Catholic Church in showing our disgust with Bishop Harvey’s statement and decision,” one man said, according to The New Today.
However, others support the decision made by Bishop Harvey.
“The Bishop has the authority to make decisions after consultations with his superiors and his own dioceses. The church isn’t a political party. The Catholic Church, like the other churches, each has its own rules and in your Pastoral training and Ordination the Priest or Pastor takes an oath to adhere,” one person said.
“Father Paul knew the consequences of his action. For sure there will not be a split in the Catholic Church. The ones who choose to leave will do so. The serious Catholics and followers will accept the discipline of the Bishop. If Father Paul submits to himself and accepts that his behaviour was gross disrespect and is prepared to repent he can be reinstated. To call the Bishop “a fella name Clyde Harvey” in a Muslim event doesn’t speak well for a priest in high office.”
Bishop Harvey! There was no need for clarification or moderation. Fr Paul is clearly out of his depth.
The church’s primary purpose is the spiritual health of its people. It is not another branch of the United Nations. Though it has a moral obligation to protect the rights of people, such a duty should not be its overarching responsibility.
You clearly have acted dutifully and properly. Israel is foundational to our spiritual salvation. Jesus was a Jew and any Christian who would not come to the rescue of His people, should be ashamed of themselves.
@Chien Bondieu
I think you should be ashamed of yourself. By supporting the genocide in Palestine, you are simply showing your true self. A highly hypocritical dark hearted and wicked soul, with absolutely no love.
Why would you assume that the Church’s primary purpose is towards the spiritual health of its people, such a reckless assumption, do not get me wrong as being a Church hater. One of the most important journeys and experiences in life is a spiritual one, why would you trust a Church to be the primary resource for such a journey lol. Didn’t Jesus who Christianity was founded after said God’s kingdom is within you, Luke 17:20-21. Why are you going seeking outside yourself to some organized body or institution composed of a group of men to guide you to spiritual health, have you not heard the term self realization, what about the phrase Know thy self. As to the rest of your comment it is just religious dogma.
Maybe because Jesus instituted his Church for that very reason? to guide the people? you think reading the bible is enough to fulfill the world spiritually? No. the Church is the body of Christ and its our responsibility to help those in need. To act like you don’t need the Church is to act like you don’t need Christ himself
Bunch of hypocrites ,Roman catholics just the name alone tell you about them .
Who joins or becomes Roman catholic when we are neither Roman nor catholic?
Romans slaughtered all the Coptic priests who didn’t agree with their changes when they hijacked Christianity and enslaved the population.
I refuse to burn my lips on another man’s soup. His comments have been ” misinterpreted ”
. The thunderous baclash you received from even within your ” Flock ” caused you to sing a different song now eh. So you in your position for umteen years were incapable of issuing a statement that would not be ” misinterpreted ” in the first instance ?? I applaud your truthfullness.
The Catholic Church was silent during WW11. They were silent when the clergy was molesting young boys. They were silent when the nuns and priests were abusing native school children in residential schools in Canada.
This does not surprise me in the least. That is how the Catholic Church behaves and it seems they have leaned nothing from their past behavior.
” My comments were misinterpreted/misunderstood/misconceived” is a ‘go to’ excuse for corrupt politicians and iniquitous priests.
Dinosaurian religious zealots like Bishop Harvey have such puritanical view of the church. They even deem it sacrilegious if they comment on anything not directly involving the church, even massacres and genocides.
I maintain that religion is like opioid fed to the people. Many followers and believers think that to concern themselves with things that happen in the secular world is sinning. It’s none of their concern.
What happened to education? When will Black people get the realization that this is the white man religion, you can’t keep fighting the white man’s battles. Though some are effeminate and unsure of their sexuality, it’s time to go home, research, find your Black self, find the African Spiritual System, God. Read Stolen Legacy by G. James.
We are aware an ABUSIVE relationship exists between you and the European religion Christianity, but unsure who is abusing who. Go home, they need their religion to continue subduing your continent and your people; Resist. What we know is that they educate these priests whom they hijacked the religion from, to hate the Spirituality of the Africans, and the Haitians. Coincidence? or brainwashing? Think!
You’re fighting over their Pope in Italy – white as snow, are you out of your mind, Black man, black as tar?
India worships God in their own image likeness, so does China, Japan, Arabs, all else but you worship their god? Think!
well apparently it has finally been proven even more that Jesus Christ was a black man, so your argument really loses weight. it is maybe time for us to claim back our own salvation religion which has been whitewashed… what about that?
No, it has NOT been proven that a Galilean Jew from the Middle East is “black”, because he’s not. Go away with your nonsense
Jesus isn’t white, nor is he European. He’s from the Middle East. It’s not a white man or European religion you dumb as. Christ is for everybody
He was a shipwrecked Chinese or an alien, but not Asian. The Buddha and Chrishna were Asian. And, those people kept their faith to their God, except of course, YOU alone kept the god of your enslaver; they didn’t.
I say this because it seems you’ll believe anything these esksmotere jesuit Christians teach you. You’ll find Jerusalem is physically in Notheast Africa, but to fool you they built a ravine, the suez canal, so that you take a boat to get there from Egypt. Don’t fall for that. Think, and find out more than the church tells you because they do benefit from you repeating stupid stuff. Think and educate yourself – even Putin is coming to grips with all the lies you were fed.
Do not confuse the word Education with its explicit meaning as to what you think and believe in reference to your comment believing you are educated. The path to spirituality has nothing to do with ethnicity, sexuality or race. What do you mean by the black self you are asking to go and research referring to the African Spiritual System, God, lol, such blasphemous and utter nonsense.
Do you know what makes the physical body a living entity or a living soul. When you eat food, do you know how this food is transformed into energy or how it sustains the body and you are unconscious of this, it happens throughout your physical existence till death rendering the body useless. The thing that gives life to that physical body and sustains it is the thing we should know and be conscious of, that is the real self and it is not black. That is why the ancient saying says Know thyself, so long.
Gary, I started yelling there at first, however, my last paragraph is very important. Please read it again.