Bishop of Roseau, Gabriel Malzaire, has expressed his solidarity with the residents of the Bahamas who are now facing hardship following the horrific devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.
Bishop Malzaire who is the president of the Antilles Episcopal Conference said in a statement issued today, “In the name of my brother bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, I express deep solidarity with our brother, Archbishop Patrick Pinder, the Clergy, Religious and the entire people of the Archdiocese of Nassau, following the horrific devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.”
Bishop Malzaire continues, “The distressing images, the requests for prayers, and the feeling of utter helplessness brought back memories of the traumatic experience of Dominica caused by Hurricane Maria just two years ago.”
He adds, “As a Caribbean people, we understand the pain, the despair and the trauma that the Bahamians, especially the residents of the islands of Abacos and Grand Bahama, are experiencing at this time, I encourage them to hold on to hope.”
Bishop Malzaire states that as a means of making manifest their solidarity, he has requested that a special collection be taken up in every diocese of the Antilles Episcopal Conference to aid in the recovery of the people and the church of the Bahamas.
He sends his sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and remembers those who have also lost their property.
Below is an audio of the full statement by Bishop Malzaire.
Our religious leaders, most them, will remain silent because they cannot appear to be taking sides. Perhaps until somebody is charged with a crime. For now, we’re only hearing about a lot of things. A bishop cannot talk about something he heard.
People like the bishop will cause God’s wrath and destruction throughout the Caribbean because they support and associate themselves with evil instead of standing for righteousness. I respect God’s true servants