Local RC authorities too repressive

THE EDITOR: Repressive Catholic authorities in Trinidad and Tobago must no doubt be indignant and furious that a Church in southern Italy has made no announced attempt to hide or otherwise imprison its life-size, bronze statue of Padre Pio, which recently started weeping tears containing “some kind of blood.”

Had that occurred in TT, the statue would immediately have been taken out of circulation and locked away as was the case of the weeping statue of Our Lady of Lourdes which has been hidden, reportedly in Diego Martin for limited, private viewing only, ie virtual ostracism. No where else in God’s wide world does this narrow, parochial, retrogressive attitude better flourish than in the portals of Roman Catholic authority in Trinidad and Tobago. It is the same authority that represses comment and shuns leadership on key moral and spiritual issues of the day, like the total dehumanisation at Carnival, where the only clerical voice of concern is that of a lone courageous priest. Religious liberator Pope John 23rd must be groaning in his grave because of these mental manacles from the Middle Ages, which imprison statues that can generate some of the avid interest and curiosity that surrounded Calvary.

LLOYD CARTAR
Port-of-Spain