Article A55 · Book 1 · Loose insert
FRUSTRATING PRIESTS — open letter to Archbishop Tony Pantin
[Piece 1 — main sheet]
FRUSTRATING PRIESTS
Open Letter To Archbishop Tony Pantin From: A Bunch Of Local Priests............
YOUR GRACE,
When you ascended to the post of Archbishop, so many of us rejoiced that a young man, a young Trinidadian, should get this, and we were one hundred percent behind you.
But today, almost eleven years later, we figure that something is wrong, that all is not well between you and Rome, and instead of coming to your brothers for some sort of help, and guidance you are slipping into the shadows.
Since Cardinal Rossi, came from Brasil last year during Assembly '77, strange things have been happening and we who are in the middle of the situation are concerned.
At that time he came with a Syrian priest and they were conducted all around the beautiful island of ours which exudes an aura of wealth.
The next thing we know is that a Syrian priest is here staying at convent and hobnobbing with the powerful and rich Syrian community, but we are told nothing of this, in fact everything is kept hush-hush,
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You tell us that you don't read the BOMB, but we have chosen this newspaper to publish our letter because we know that everybody else reads it and somebody will pass on the message to you.
What we want to know, Your Grace, is whether there is in fact a break between you and Rome and they have sent the Syrian here to watch you.
We note that you have removed two local priests from the media and put it in the hands of three Irish priests. Imagine that!
In fact, although our church is the largest in this country, yet your church, your Grace, is dominated by the greatest number of foreigners with the top jobs, even your own secretary is an American woman.
So many of the young priests are leaving Fr. Julien, Fr. Augustine, Fr. Charles, Fr. Reid, Fr. Belgrave, and Fr. Pascal, to name a few, not to mention the number of nuns who have left the Convents.
What's going on Your Grace?
Do you realise that this must reflect against your ruling, and don't you think it's time for you to have a new look at yourself and what's going on?
Now hold it, Your Grace, we are not attacking you, but urging you to pause and go in retrospect and wonder whether you have been doing the right things, all the time.
We know you are not infallible, but from the beginning you have made so many faux pas that it bears some looking into.
You really did it in the Black Power affair when you were white-jacket [column break] black-jacket with Granger and his mob and you fell flat on your face.
In so many areas you have been allowing things to slip and look at how you have lost hold of the Holy Ghost Missionary College which is now to be used as a mad house.
We hear that a priest reported you to Rome for a lot of things and that is why you had to have Assembly '77 and that is why the Syrian is here.
These are rumours that are flying through the seminaries and churches and we feel it is time we have a confrontation before bad gets worse.
After all that grand charge about going to Laventille to live among the poor, you are back at the castle and another priest has taken over Laventille and lots of priests are not happy about this appointment, but that is your province Your Grace and we are not fussing.
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But you have a right to know that things are being said, but we can't help you because we don't know.
We are prepared to support you, Your Grace, if you show us that you have some confidence in us.
You must wonder whether you are doing your best for the country.
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You are neglecting the local boys and the expatriates are letting you down. Look at what happened with that Irishman who was taking letters out of the jail. You had to send him away shamefacedly.
And your handling of the Catholic News has not been right.
Imagine you picked that radical Benedict Wight at one time as editor and then you went back to the Irish.
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What about people like Fr. Mohammed and Fr. Nicholson, and Brother Steve — they are Trinidadians, let them run the Catholic News which is an important area of influence in this country.
Your Grace, if you keep on like that, you will find Rome will send more people to keep an eye on you and we will not stand for that.
It is things like that
[Piece 2 — torn bottom strip, right column: the letter's conclusion]
which causes schisms, Your Grace. You would not like to know that during your regime as archbishop, the Trinidad church broke away from Rome.
No Your Grace, we are not threatening you or the church, we are just pointing out how it could go.
DOMINUS VOBISCUM,
Some Frustrated Local Priests