Father Clyde Harvey has been appointed by the Vatican as the new Bishop of the Diocese of St. George’s, Grenada. However, he is insisting he is not running from T&T is the wake of the recent attack against him by four men.
Harvey made the comment yesterday after new of his appointment was made during a mid-morning press conference at Archbishop’s House, St. Clair, yesterday, by Papal Nuncio Archbishop Nicola Girasoli.
“I am going to Grenada not because I don’t love Trinidad or that somebody is trying to kill me,” Harvey said.
Declaring his pride as a Trinidadian, Harvey sought to assure local parishioners that he would always, “love this country, have no doubt about that.”
However, he advised, “My life has been guided by what God calls me to do and on the day when I was asked, although I wanted to refuse, it was clear that was not what God wanted.”
Although he felt he had not yet completed his work with troubled youths in high-risk communities in T&T, Harvey cautioned those after him to beware that, “the work that has to be done cannot be done in a single day or by a single person.”
He said while no one was able to forecast what T&T will look like in years to come, there were some hard-hitting problems such as drugs and guns which need to be addressed.
“Unless we get politicians to deal with that with the strength and purpose required and a community that stands behind them, we will continue to have trouble,” Harvey said.
He again admitted the events of the last week had left him shaken, but said he was hurt that many of the young men who continue to approach him daily on the streets were mentally unstable and the authorities were not doing much about it except to administer medication. Harvey appealed to citizens to find one such deserving person and foster that kind of care and love.
To the grandmothers left to care for youngsters whose fathers had been killed and mothers whose lives had been lost to drugs, Harvey said it was unfair they had to prove to the State they had the right to care for these people before they could receive any kind of financial assistance.
Hopeful the appointment would benefit both T&T and Grenada, Harvey urged local Christians and non-Christians to demonstrate their love for humanity by joining together to help those affected in Central and South Trinidad by Tropical Storm Bret.
Best man for job
Girasoli congratulated Harvey as he presented him with a purple zucchetto and a wooden cross as he said, “This is the best choice for Grenada.”
Reminding Harvey that a bishop was called to serve rather than rule, Girasoli said Harvey, the former parish priest of St Martin de Porres Church in Gonzales, Belmont, was someone who had come from and walked among the people and therefore understood the people.
Adding that a simultaneous announcement was made in Grenada yesterday, Girasoli said although it had taken more than a year to announce a replacement following the death of Bishop Vincent Darius in April 2016, it was worth the wait as no better choice could be found.
Harvey, who appeared somewhat emotional during his address, admitted to being uncertain about the appointment when he was first approached several months ago.
However, he said God has been guiding him and that although his navel-string is buried in T&T, it was time to minister to others in the region.
Thanking Archbishops Joseph Harris and Girasoli for their guidance and perseverance in what they considered to be the best course for Grenada and the Caribbean, Harvey said: “In saying yes to the suggestion that I allow myself to be considered for St. George’s, I saw that if it happened, it would be an affirmation of the work of some of the giants of the modern Caribbean church as she struggled to discover and reaffirm our Caribbean identity within our Catholic fold.”