Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris has hit back at critics, declaring that neither he nor the church will be locked in a sacristy. Harris, who had been criticised for commenting on the contentious e-mails revealed by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley in Parliament last month, spoke with reporters following a special midday mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Pro-Cathedral in San Fernando, yesterday.
“Politics is a search for the common good and the church has a right and a duty to search for the common good and to help in that search for the common good,” the Archbishop said. During Corpus Christi mass last Thursday, Harris said whatever the origin of these e-mails, “crimes were being committed for the sake of power.” He was criticised by some, who felt he should not have entered the political arena.
Harris, who said he did not hear the criticisms, stood by his comments on the e-mail scandal which involves several senior members of the Cabinet, including Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “I do not know what people are saying, but I said something that was very true and neutral. I have not blamed anyone so I do not understand. This is a free country, people will say what they want to say,” he said, adding that he is not an Archbishop who will be locked away.
“I will not be locked in a sacristy. The church is not meant to be locked in a sacristy. If the church were locked in a sacristy all the Catholic schools we have, all the Catholic institutions looking after so many people would not be around,” he said. The sacristy is a sacred area in the church which is not visible to the public. The mass was held to coincide with an hour of prayer led by Pope Francis from Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was observed simultaneously with churches and cathedrals around the world.
Harris in his message said while T&T is independent, citizens can still be “slaves to our passions.” “In spite of having independence we can be slaves of the many voices out there who call us to do what they want us to do. At times it even seems that our slavery is so pronounced that we cannot think for ourselves. In the midst of that we have the voice of Jesus Christ. That is the only thing that can save you—God’s word,” he declared.
In comments to reporters after the mass, Harris lamented the current state of affairs in the country.
“When you look at the violence in the country, when you look at things like incest, when you look at the murders, you have to ask yourself if people are morally free, or whether they are acting under some impulses which are not really human. So that is what I mean by the difference between political independence and moral independence. Jesus Christ came to give us moral independence far more than political independence,” he said.
He explained that the mass was special in that Pope Francis asked that Catholics be united at the same time for an hour of Eucharistic adoration and to prayer for specific things. The Pope asked for the church to remain faithful and to pray for those involved in human trafficking. A prayer was offered for drug addicts.