THE RC church is clarifying that Bishop Clyde Harvey did not "quit" his position because of a backlash he is facing after suspending Grenadian priest Fr Gerard Paul from the priesthood.
Rather, the church explained, Harvey, the Trinidadian Bishop of St George's in Grenada, reached the mandatory age of retirement – 75 – last November. Under canon law, he would then have submitted his letter of intention to the Vatican to vacate the position. He announced this intention in September 2023.
Rome gave him a two-year extension until a successor is found.
Harvey, who was ordained in 1976, has been Bishop of Grenada since 2017, after serving in Trinidadian parishes including Maloney and Laventille/ Morvant.
Paul started a petition to remove Harvey after Harvey suspended him via a letter dated April 20.
Last weekend mediators said “an agreement” had been reached to “promote harmony in the Catholic Church in Grenada.”
However, it was then reported that Paul had defied Harvey’s ruling and continued to preach in the parish of River Sallee, Grenada.
Initial reports suggested Paul was suspended for his open criticism from the pulpit of Harvey and the hierarchy of the church on their silence over what he called Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Harvey later clarified that Paul’s suspension was for his continued lack of respect for the church. He said Paul’s pronouncements often strayed from the truth.
At the Antilles Episcopal Conference, which is now taking place and which Archbishop of Port of Spain Jason Gordon is attending, the leadership of the Province of Castries, headed by Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire, said it was deeply saddened by the situation unfolding in Grenada and the continued public display of disregard for leadership and the policies and processes of the church.
Malzaire in a statement, said the series of errant actions which occurred at and after the annual Chrism Mass on March 27 had brought disrepute and immeasurable hurt to the church.
He said it has now become necessary for the leadership to intervene and take action in accordance with the right order of the church.
He underscored that Harvey is the rightly appointed bishop of St George’s-in-Grenada and must be respected as such.
Gordon, in a Facebook post, said he stood in solidarity with the leadership of the Province of Castries Antilles Episcopal Conference and supported Malzaire's intervention and his decision to uphold Harvey's instruction "in accordance with Right Order.
He said, “I continue to pray for all the people of God in Grenada and for a peaceful resolution by all parties involved, in the spirit of brotherly love and grace.”
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