Clergy discuss emerging family issues at annual conference

ST LUCIA

At the Association of Diocesan Clergy of the Province of Castries, head of the Commission on the Laity and Family Life of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), Bishop Robert Llanos of St John’s Basseterre, appealed to clergy present to be watchmen in their parishes and various dioceses against the warped ideologies and practices which are infiltrating family life and undermining its stability and health.

The Association’s 39th annual conference was held January 23–27 under the theme: I Placed Watchmen on your Towers Jerusalem (Is 62:6). The venue was The Mount of Prayer, Coubaril, Castries.

Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire of Castries presided at the opening Mass at St Benedict Church, Morne Fortune, Castries. Bishop Llanos was the homilist. Bishop John Persaud of the Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica was among the concelebrants. Among those present were clergy representatives from St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Jamaica and Antigua.

From Monday 23 to Thursday 26, Commission members made presentations and held discussions on the following topics: ‘Sexual Integration as Celibates Today’, ‘Gender Theory and Ideology’, ‘The Effects of Internet’, ‘Social Media and the Family’, ‘Sex Education in Schools’. The presenters were Bishop Robert Llanos, Fr Matthew Ragbir, theological adviser, and Tricia Syms, Episcopal Delegate for the Archdiocese of Port of Spain’s Family Life Commission.

Other presentations were ‘Sexual Identity’, ‘Orientation and Morality’; ‘Spousal Relationship and Sacrament of Marriage’; ‘Canon Law and a Theology of the Marriage Sacrament and Pastoral Response’.

Speaking to CHOICE News Now Prime, Bishop Llanos revealed that this year’s meeting took a different format.

He explained, “The AEC bishops asked the provincial clergy to allow us to come into their meeting this year to present on important issues affecting Caribbean societies and more particularly, family life in the region. And that, we feel, needs to be addressed more urgently. And so we asked if we can come and present a workshop on these various issues,” Bishop Llanos said.

He underscored the aim of the workshops was to present the facts, the Church’s position and “what we understand to be the truth regarding these things.”

On Wednesday 25, the Association held its executive election and Frs Alando Williams and Peter Emmanuel from the Diocese of Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines were elected president and vice president respectively.

Frs Nigel Karam and Herman Sharplis from the Diocese of Roseau, Dominica were elected secretary and assistant secretary respectively, and Fr Albert Smith of the Archdiocese of Castries was elected treasurer.

The conference ended with an excursion to Pigeon Island where the clergy spent the day socialising. The 2024 conference will take place in Dominica.