Inquiry priests support Fr Swaratsingh

Two out of three members of the pastoral visitation team sent to enquire into the ministry of Fr Kennedy Swaratsingh have come out in his support. They condemned a report in Wednesday’s Express as being unfair to him.

Principal vicar for north Trinidad, Fr Allan Ventour, yesterday condemned the report and said that the reporter came with an agenda, looking for something sensational. How did he feel about Fr Swaratsingh?

Fr Ventour said: “I think he’s trying to put things together, to organise his life. I don’t know what harm the news report will do. He has had a lot of bad publicity before (when joining the Defence Force). Now he is trying to rise above the negative publicity. The session on Tuesday proved it. “Parishioners were overwhelmingly on his side. Out of the many who spoke only two had anything negative to say.  The parish was ailing and now it’s alive — they all kept hinting at that. Some say he’s not accessible, but he is there from 5 pm to 8 pm Monday to Friday, and people can get to him. Everybody was highly positive and praising — people in their 60s, the young, and right across the board. People came out and spoke in glowing terms.

They were happy with him and supportive. When you see older people give their approval, it has struck them.” How did he feel about Tuesday’s proceedings? Fr Ventour said: “I wish we’d used another...I don’t believe the public forum was the thing, although it might have been good to show people what is happening. The man is suffering and that news report on Wednesday probably hurt too. People said it’s the week before Holy Week and just as Christ was crucified, they are trying to crucify Fr Kennedy. “Although it has allowed the wider parish to know what’s going on and allowed the Archbishop and myself to hear and see exactly where he (Fr Swaratsingh) stands with his parishioners. “What came out to me Tuesday night is that all criticisms were unfounded, myth and fiction not fact.”  

Another member of the inquiring pastoral visitation team, Princes Town parish priest and member of the council of priests, Fr Martin Sirju, also lent support to Fr Swaratsingh and condemned the Express report. In a written statement, Fr Sirju said: “There were some concerns regarding Fr Kennedy Swaratsingh and St Patrick’s Parish which had come to the ears of the Archbishop. In order to put these concerns or allegations to rest Archbishop Gilbert decided on a pastoral visitation which he is entitled to do and which has sound basis in church law. “His Grace then brought up these allegations one by one: financial impropriety, content of homilies and personal witness. One by one these allegations were vociferously refuted. “In fact a bold response by Mr Terrence Martin, former CEO of RBTT, put to rest any question of financial impropriety.

“Next came the allegation that Fr Kennedy undermines the teachings of the Magisterium. “The people conceded a little: Fr Kennedy may share a little too much on his personal life and calls the shots as he sees them, but they saw no flagrant disregard for church teachings. “All but one or two among the 30 or so people who came to the microphone praised Fr Kennedy repeatedly. “As Newsday accurately reported above its main headline [there was] ‘overwhelming support for Swaratsingh’.”

Rejecting criticisms that Fr Swaratsingh had once told a class of adult converts about an “adult” movie he had once seen on television, Fr Sirju said the priest had done this to inform parents that that was the world in which children lived today. Fr Sirju said: “As for the issue of personal witness which I might add the Archbishop did not spell out but which concerned Fr Kennedy’s alleged behaviour with women, was his behaviour improper or scandalous? “No one took the bait...Not one speaker who spoke in the final segment said anything negative about Fr Kennedy.” Saying speakers had repeatedly praised Fr Swaratsingh, Fr Sirju said: “It was a sterling display of not only defence of one’s parish priest but of church and fruits of the synod”.

Describing priests as wounded healers, Fr Sirju concluded: “No priest is sinless. Fr Kennedy’s record is not unblemished and neither is mine...My impression of the response of the hundreds of parishioners gathered at St Patrick’s is: ‘We know he has made mistakes but we love him and we want him still’.” The third member of the pastoral visitation team, vicar for clergy Fr Kenneth Spence, declined to comment to Newsday. Archbishop Gilbert has promised to make a statement to the media next week.