The Catholic Church has upheld the suspension of Grenadian priest, Fr Gerard Paul following a meeting with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries, Gabriel Malzaire, and the parties involved, in a recent controversy that has divided the church in Grenada.
The decision was made after the senior clergyman said he acted on his commitment to meet everyone involved in the matter and to “urgently hear and consider any objections which Father Gerald Paul may wish to make concerning his suspension or any complaints against his Bishop.”
He said in a statement on Friday that after considering many things, and in the interest of maintaining “Right Order” in the Catholic Church, the suspension of Father Paul is upheld. He also made it clear that the authority of the Catholic Church has spoken on the matter and everyone must now work towards rebuilding the Catholic community.
According to the Archbishop, for his deliberation on the matter to be inclusive and to see all perspectives, he met with several people and groups including Bishop Clyde Harvey, Father Paul, the Catholic clergy in Grenada, the parishioners of River Sallee (where Father Paul ministered) and Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother at Mount St Ervan’s.
“I listened carefully and prayerfully to come to a full understanding of all the apparent–as well as the underlying–issues,” he said. “I also had to take into consideration antecedents which are reflective of the current impasse. Importantly, my decision was guided by the existing rules and principles that guide Right Order within the Church, in addressing matters such as those faced by the Church in Grenada today.”
The Archbishop who has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the dioceses in St Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent, and St Kitts, said it is clear the Church in Grenada is in pain” and that there are different opinions on how we should relate to the matter and persons involved in the matter.”
“Bishop Harvey is well respected for his wisdom and is highly regarded regionally for his years of work in social justice,” he remarked. “He has also embraced the challenges faced in establishing the appropriate mechanisms for rebuilding a Church and clergy united by love, the gospel, and Canon Law. Father Gerard is a much-loved parish priest and has done commendable work in building a community of the faithful and in bringing much attention to social ills. The parishioners of River Sallee have suffered much and that must not be ignored.”
However, according to Archbishop Malzaire, “All things considered, it is my determination that like any other credible institution with a long history such as ours we must stand by what makes us “One holy Catholic and apostolic Church.”
“In this regard, we must uphold Right Order in how we work together, how we uphold promises and vows, and how we must correct each other,” he stated. “The suspension of Father Paul from priestly and administrative duties is therefore upheld.”
He pointed out that the authority of the Catholic Church has spoken on the issue and that it must be accepted with humility.
“I ask that we all act with obedience and humility in recognizing the authority of the Church has spoken and we must now work together to foster healing among our Church community, as well as healing for our priests and sisters and laity who have experienced much trauma during this trying period,” Malzaire noted.
He also said that he has asked Father Paul to seriously consider his actions and their effects on the Catholic community, that he humbly accepts the decree of his suspension and he complies with the preconditioned requirements for him to be reinstated into ministry within the Church.
“The leadership of the Diocese extends fraternal love and support to Father Gerard Paul and will provide all the necessary help he needs to ensure that he is able to complete the requirements for reinstatement,” he said.
“This we consider will occur in the privacy and confines of the Church as appropriate.”
He also asked everyone for the privacy of Father Paul and Bishop Harvey during their time of healing and to desist from bringing further scandal to the Catholic Church. Father Paul was suspended from ministry in April over what Bishop Harvey said was his lack of respect for the authority of the Church and pronouncements that he made “which
often strayed from the truth.”
“Respect for authority is one of the pillars of civilized society,” Bishop Harvey said in explaining the suspension.
“When such respect is undermined without being addressed, the result can only be a total breakdown of society. This applies to all sectors.”
Father Paul knows exactly what he is doing because he has always been hell bent on pushing the buttons of the catholic leadership and I am happy the suspension was not lifted. He has always walked on a thin line with his priesthood and is time he is taught a lesson. There are alot of underlying issues regarding his loyalty and commitment to being a priest and his behavior should not be tolerated. The Archbishop needs to do an investigation into his personal life and he will understand the kind of man he is dealing with!! Grenada is too small for Gerald Paul to be hiding behind the cloth! His character leaves much to be desired for that of a priest!!! I can say all of this because I know him personally!
I would like to know what Biblical references were made in coming to a resolution of these circumstances
Handsome physical strapped(no pun) young black men(s) fighting over Vatican, pope, christianity and catholic issues after all they have done to you, your people? Now they have taught you that you did it to yourselves and “you” deserve hell, yet you believe?
They already hijacked Moses and Hebrew issues, assigned them to Europeean Jewish converts from the Khazars by military force; yet, we (black men) take up their fight and also fight over Islam issues.
I am starting a gang of Black men to fight over Hindu and Buddhist issues. So let’s also fight over Buddha and Chrishna. This is so id10tic, unprecedented and unbelievable!
In these days of available information our future generations are yearning to move on from that ishtism already. Common now, those days should already be gone by now, big boys!
Very well said. We continue to live the lives that these cave men left us and that’s why there is so much division among us. They concocted their plan for us to stay divided by giving us a god in the sky pie to eat. I tell you, it’s not easy to let the white man’s religion go. I have asked many times, how could a people. who enslaved our ancestors, raped, killed
murdered, cut out the pregnant women’s stomach, snatched the babies out and smashed their heads, cut off the men’s genetals and placed them in bottles turned around and give us a white man on a cross as our saviourr? How absurd and what abstract thinking!!!!
My people, we have to get back to our Spirituality. We have been burying our heads in the sand of Christianity and we are getting worse toward each other.
Be bold and liberate your minds. That’s where they have controlled us and we need to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery( brother Bob Marley).
These men have too much control in this world. When one man, the pope, gives orders to his subordinates, other men like him, should we expect otherwise, especially with the latest happening in Dominica? Why do people need to look up to a man and place him on a pedestal? Why have we allowed religion to stifle us so much? Is religion really helping us? When I compare my youth to now, life is just not the same. There are so many religious groups but things are getting worse by the day.
When one man takes a stand concerning what’s really happening, then he becomes austracised. Mr. Paul, keep your stance. I heard you on La Kou two Sundays ago.
Brilliant decision. Thanks be to God. The Catholic Church still has leadership, that we can be proud of.
Decisions that are founded on natural principles, based on justice and based on truth. Decisions that are Catholic.