By Vernon Khelawan

A few weeks ago, Archbishop Joseph Harris commented publicly on an issue that impacted the entire nation. Immediately he was accused of getting involved in the politics. It is not uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago for other religious leaders to appear on television and radio talk shows, take out paid advertisements in the newspapers or even call press conferences.

Some even have regular newspaper columns and they waste no time in commenting on national issues. This is what leaders are supposed to do. This is precisely what our Archbishop did. In a homily to members of his flock – and that flock forms a substantial part of the country’s population, the Archbishop touched on a “hot button” issue and immediately there was a public outcry against him getting into the politics.

His response was timely and to the point. He told the country he was one Archbishop who had no intention of being locked away in a sacristy and would make comments on public issues whenever he felt there was need to do so. I congratulate him and I support him – and the Church needs to do just that.

In this Year of Faith, we Roman Catholics must show in no small way that we have faith in our leadership and must certainly be encouraged by the stance taken by Archbishop Harris. By the same token, we all need to work more assiduously at the building of a just society and towards the overall development of our country.

We need to pray for our Archbishop and all our priests so that they are given the grace and strength to deal with the challenges that they are most certain to face as they continue with their pastoral duties and responsibilities. Let’s continue to observe the Year of Faith full of confidence and hope.