Anglican Diocese in Barbados Urged to Lead 'Fundamental Reset' for Community and Church: Archbishop Gomez

The Anglican Diocese in Barbados has been called upon to spearhead a ‘fundamental reset’ within both the church and broader community as it celebrates its bicentennial, according to retired Archbishop Drexel Gomez.

Speaking at a nearly four-hour service to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Diocese of Barbados at the Wildey Gymnasium, attended by President Dame Sandra Mason, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and other Cabinet members, Archibishop Gomez, the first Caribbean-born Bishop of Barbados from 1972 to 1992, emphasised the “urgent need for spiritual renewal and moral revival”.

He expressed concern over the erosion of core societal values: “So many of our precious core values, strengths of resilient survival and creative resistance, prudent emulation, compassionate concern, solidarity with the poor, mutual upliftment, personal decency, visions of better tomorrows, courageous sacrifices, and courage for wisdom. All of these seem to be diminishing.”

Archbishop Gomez attributed this decline to “the unchecked rise of individualistic and materialistic tendencies”, which he believes has led to the suppression of “the collective and creative human spirit”.

Central to his address was a call for the church to embody Christlike values and act as a vehicle for faith formation.

“Each diocese must therefore ensure that at every stage of personal development, from infancy to adulthood, adequate provision is to be made for the promotion of growth in the knowledge and understanding of Christian faith and practice,” Archbishop Gomez explained.

The retired archbishop of the eight-diocese Church of the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) advocated for a more intentional approach to Christian character formation, including “youth empowerment, lay ministry, and clergy refreshment”.

He said: “Christian teaching is for people to assist in faith formation and to provide adequate funding, inclusive of available technology.”

Archbishop Gomez emphasised the church’s responsibility to serve as the moral conscience of the nation, urging it to address what he termed “five major contemporary evils”: greed, sexual depravity, abuse of power, corrupt communication, and cultural decay.

On the subject of greed, he declared: “Greed involves a selfish insistence on having or acquiring more without regard for the welfare and impact on other members of society.” He referenced St Paul’s teaching, urging contentment and moderation: “I have learned to be content with whatever I have.”