Gilbert Condemns Attack

“Evil will not have the last word,” declared Gilbert to the hundreds of persons who attended Holy Thursday mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port-of-Spain yesterday.

Archbishop Felix was attacked following the end of a church service at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Castries on Thursday night. In making this stunning revelation to his congregation, Gilbert said Felix’s throat would have been slit but his clerical collar apparently saved his life.

Noting that TT was not immune to the heightened levels of violence that were affecting every corner of the world today, Gilbert urged citizens not to respond to this violence with “vengeance, increased power or lack of forgiveness.” “That is not the Christian response,” he said. Further observing that much of this violence was being perpetuated by young people, the Archbishop said people in TT needed to reach out to these lost sheep and bring them back into the flock with love, understanding and God’s teachings. Gilbert added that many of these youths may not have been exposed to proper values and if this could not be done by the family,then it was incumbent upon communities to fulfill that role. “Evil will never have the last word. The love, power and victory of Jesus Christ will allow us to move beyond that,” he declared. The Archbishop also criticised baptised Catholics who do not adhere to the Church’s teachings and urged them to reflect upon and correct their actions. “We must live and act as a community,” he said.

Gilbert’s homily was nearly drowned out by loud music blasting from sound trucks passing outside the cathedral until they were stopped by the police.

At yesterday’s mass, Gilbert washed the feet of 12 parishoners, symbolic of Christ’s washing of his apostles’ feet at the Last Supper.