Head of the Roman Catholic Church in St. Lucia, Archibishop Gabriel Malzaire in an address released on Youtube on Saturday 11th, March denouced the brutality of the killings in Vieux Fort which took place two days prior. The Archbishop called on “all persons of good will” to join him “in praying fervently that God will lend a hand in this time of moral crisis”. His full adress is below:
Our nation is appalled and under a state of shock by the senseless killings which took place in the town of Vieux Fort on Thursday, March 09, 2023. We had a similar occurrence on February 22, 2023, while the country was celebrating its 44th anniversary of our independence.Â
Such a situation says a great deal about us and the direction our country is taking. It only serves to instill great fear in the entire citizenry of our beloved country, thus affecting every aspect of the life of our people: the social, economic, religious, and political.
As head of the Roman Catholic Church in Saint Lucia and a member of the Saint Lucia Christian Council I vehemently denounce these acts of brutality on the citizens of our country. I call on every sector of the society to join me in denouncing these senseless acts of violation of the dignity of the human person, their basic human right to life. I call on all Christians and all persons of good will to join me in praying fervently that God will lend a hand in this time of moral crisis.Â
Let us bear in mind that our present situation did not fall from the sky. It is the result of great irresponsibility on the part of many: the home, the Church, the political machinery, the law enforcement agents, and the societal conditions we live in. We tolerate too much licentiousness in all our institutions. As such, we are all in need of healing for proper redress of the present situation. Let us grow to really become our brothers and sisters’ keepers and work towards building a better nation embracing the virtue of peace for now and the future.Â
