I am a fervent Catholic, and it is therefore with a very sad and broken heart that I must let my archbishop know how quite disappointed I am to see that some elements of the church's human leadership just do not seem to be reading "the signs of the times." Given the critical social and moral condition of this country today, one would have thought that the church would be calling its members, if not the entire population, to a spirit of repentance and conversion, to a spirit of deep ongoing prayer for deliverance from the moral evil engulfing this nation, and to a very sober reflection on the abyss of iniquity to which we are rapidly descending.
Instead what we are now hearing is the most astonishing announcement that the church is launching an official Carnival band of its own, with the misguided objective of "restoring creativity and clean fun to the festivities." This is somewhat like encouraging male Catholics to visit brothels with a view to converting the prostitutes there to a more respectable lifestyle. Let us face it, Carnival is essentially about revelling with abandon, and to attempt to change its essential nature is like trying to extract the natural alcohol from wine; it just cannot be done.
To take the situation to absurdity, are we now to expect to see our priests and nuns prancing on the streets on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, led by a palancing archbishop? After all if, as we are told, the effort is such a noble one, then all good Catholics, from top to bottom, should be rushing to participate in this "sacred" venture. Look, let us get serious in this country, and in this church, before it is too late. God is not mocked. This nonsense is certainly not what Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ instituted His church for. This is literally playing the fool. I do hope that the little remaining remnant of right-thinking Catholics would rise up and shout down this quite misguided and absurd idea of a Catholic Carnival band.
Lawford Alexander
Woodbrook, PoS