Archbishop Emeritus Calls For More Compassion in T&T
Archbishop Emeritus Robert Rivas OP says Trinidad and Tobago needs to become a more compassionate society, in line with the characteristics of St. Rose of Lima.
Addressing the Feast Day Mass for the Santa Rosa Roman Catholic Church in Arima, he said society can learn from St. Rose how to be more like Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
« Our society needs many more compassionate and kind people to counteract the culture of disrespect, the disregard for human life and human dignity, and the culture of violence that undermines our peaceful coexistence and security. »
The Archbishop Emeritus fondly recalled the recent past, when neighbours freely shared their bounty with the rest of the community.
« We need a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate society to counteract the culture of death by choosing a culture of life and non-violence. We need to be more forgiving, merciful, and conscientious in building a new civilisation of love. »
Meanwhile, Parish Priest, Father Robert Christo, highlighted the diversity of the area’s descendants: a mix of Indigenous and Spanish.
« We give thanks for the integration of faith, culture and civic spirit. When the Church, the community and our cultural heritage come together, there is a joy. There is a fete in heaven. Amen. We see what it really means to be Church alive. John Paul II, Saint, says ‘inculturation’, Pope Francis says ‘interculturalisation’, ‘We must embrace and take the native feet and bring them to the Church.' »
Santa Rosa de Lima, a sixteenth-century Peruvian nun, is the patron saint of the Catholic Church in Santa Rosa.
