stluciatimes, caribbean, caribbeannews, stlucia, saintlucia, stlucianews, saintlucianews, stluciatimesnews, saintluciatimes, stlucianewsonline, saintlucianewsonline, st lucia news online, stlucia news online, loop news, loopnewsbarbados

Archbishop Calls For Urgency In Addressing Violence, Criminality

The local Roman Catholic Catholic church has raised its voice amid the current rampant wave of crime and violence. In an official statement, Archbishop of Castries The Most Reverend Gabriel Malzaire called on various elements of society to abstain from the scourge which is plaguing the nation.

The Archbishop called on Christians to embrace the teachings of Jesus, as opposed to falling into the same traps and experiencing the ills suffered by other Biblical examples.

“Right now we are seeing a lot of hurt and pain around us from families and communities affected by violence, and it is up to us to work towards peace and unity” he said. “As followers of Jesus, we are called to choose the path of love and respect for each other. We have two choices – to follow the way of Cain, who chose harm, or to follow the way of Christ, who sacrificed his life to show us love. It is a choice we all must make.”

Criminality on the island has seemingly become brazen as seen by Monday’s daylight shooting in Castries that claimed the life of one man. However, Archbishop Malzaire believes that this crime trend has developed over time, having been allowed to fester within the society unchecked.

“Saint Lucia is in a tough spot where crime and violence have caused real damage. When we hear about the senseless acts of violence every day, it is easy to feel discouraged. But this problem didn’t start overnight. It has been building up from years of ignoring the signs and letting anger and hatred grow.”

To this end, the Catholic clergyman appealed to all members of the society to play their role in combating crime. He particularly emphasised the role that leaders in both the public and private sectors must play in combating the crime crisis, noting:

“The violence and criminality surrounding us must be addressed with urgency. I urge each one of you to join me in creating change. And when I speak of violence, I do not only mean physical violence, such as gun violence, but also the subtler forms, violence expressed through words and actions from all levels of society. I condemn all such destructive acts, whether committed by individuals or by institutions.”

“To the leaders of state, public institutions, private enterprise, academia, civil society and the church, I call upon all of us to constructively and lead by example. It is our responsibility to ensure that our society adheres to the law, but also to embody integrity and virtue in our leadership. Let us strive to be fit and proper leaders, acknowledging that where we fail, we must seek atonement.”

The homicide rate currently stands 72. With other non-violent crimes also of concern, the Catholic church believes that time is now to change this worrying trajectory.

 

Any third-party or user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries published on the St. Lucia Times website (https://stluciatimes.com) in no way convey the thoughts, sentiments or intents of St. Lucia Times, the author of any said article or post, the website, or the business. St. Lucia Times is not responsible or liable for, and does not endorse, any comments or replies posted by users and third parties, and especially the content therein and whether it is accurate. St. Lucia Times reserves the right to remove, screen, edit, or reinstate content posted by third parties on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times (this includes the said user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries) at our sole discretion for any reason or no reason, and without notice to you, or any user. For example, we may remove a comment or reply if we believe it violates any part of the St. Lucia Criminal Code, particularly section 313 which pertains to the offence of Libel. Except as required by law, we have no obligation to retain or provide you with copies of any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times. All third-parties and users agree that this is a public forum, and we do not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website. Any posts made and information disclosed by you is at your own risk.

3 COMMENTS

  1. To the PARENTS – teach your children well. If you are unable to do so because you are also stuck in a generational curse/criminal mindset – seek help while help may be found. Because tomorrow may to TOO LATE for you, your family, the citizens as well as the economy. Godspeed.

  2. As you rightly said Arch Bishop, some ills in this society have been left unchecked for a very long time. To get to the main root of the problem, ask yourself who has been charged and get huge pay checks every month to take care of these problems. The truth is many persons in this society who have been placed in certain places to make a difference are covertly creating or enabling the chaos and the violence for financial and spiritual reasons. They feed on the energy of the bloodshed. But monsters sometimes come back to bite those who created them…

  3. The sins of the priest,pastors,elders, leaders and..
    And this is a lasting ordiance for the generations to comme, wherever we live:
    We must not eat any fat or blood ” ‘
    Followed by :
    When someone sees and not speak up for the fear of their lives, when sees and witnessess to testify regarding, that person is living in fear and is guilty for and is responsibilities before the LORD ”…
    Unlawful sexual relations which (I had loved..
    Deceive our neighbor entrusted to left in our care or stolen..

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

TRENDING

Subscribe to our St. Lucia Times Newsletter

Get our headlines emailed to you every day.

Subscribe to our St. Lucia Times Newsletter

Get our headlines emailed to you every day.

Share via
Send this to a friend