SASCHA WILSON
Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
As tensions rise with Venezuela following Trinidad and Tobago’s support for the US’s deadly campaign against drug traffickers, some religious leaders are urging the public to pray but also to prepare should there be a violent escalation.
While calling on leaders to address the conflict through dialogue, Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) president Dr Harrison Burris advised the population to stay calm but “take measures to ensure your survival.”
“Nobody can predict, but we can make an assessment, and we can probably make a judgement call on what we see in front of our very eyes, and therefore we should try to keep as calm as possible,” he said in a telephone interview.
He added, “Do what is necessary to fulfil the needs of your home if a crisis comes, because there are warning signs building towards a crisis. So, they must try to take the circumstances of the crisis into consideration. You must have your food and medications and rescue shelters, if you so require, ready, because you cannot predict what is going to happen.”
The IRO president also called for consultation at the highest level among the governments of T&T, Venezuela, the United States, and neighbouring countries to avoid violence.
“Instead of war, let us consult with each other and bring solutions to problems, because nobody wins a war. The situations will be prolonged, so ,therefore, it is advisable that we seek peace,” he urged, adding, “Let us have solutions, let us have consultations before we have any disruption.”
Encouraging the nation to pray for peace, Burris advised, “Putting one’s trust in the divine is much more important than being afraid.”
Anglican Bishop Claude Berkley said the buildup of US military forces in the region has created a sense of great anxiety among citizens. To preserve lives and livelihoods, he said, “Where it is possible, dialogue and reconciliation should be put in place for whatever the differences of opinion are, so that we can mitigate any full-scale clash in a war that will be very destructive and hurtful to our wellbeing and environment.”
He said, in the Anglican Church, they have been encouraging parishioners to pray but also to be alert and mindful that things could escalate, so they should be prepared. He noted that hurricane bulletins could serve as a prelude to what might happen if there is a clash.
“In hurricane conditions, you might lose electricity, roads might be distressed and disturbed, there might be landslips — in other words, lives might be disrupted — and therefore whatever preparation you can make should be made.”
Noting that the Ukraine and Russia war also started with a buildup of military equipment and claims of no intention of invasion, Berkley said, “So while we are asking regular citizens to be careful, be prayerful, be wise, we are also asking persons of influence to use that influence to direct the conversations in a way that can bring reconciliation and promote dialogue in resolving the differences before it comes to a full escalation of violence and exchange of missiles which will not serve our nation any good.”
Meanwhile, Rev Daniel Chance, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, had a similar message to political leaders and the nation as a whole. “The church continues to emphasise a ministry of peace and dialogue, and I think the time has come for all of us to be calm. We need to pray for peace.”
In the latest edition of The Catholic News, Father Stephen Alexander, general manager of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, in his column, alluded to the doctrine of Catholic Social Teaching, that every human life, regardless of guilt or innocence, retains inviolable worth and that the pursuit of peace and security must be rooted in justice, not vengeance.
“The Church does not seek to condemn or to endorse particular political figures, but to call all people — leaders and citizens alike — to moral maturity. Our democracy will only grow stronger when public debate becomes less about who is right and more about what is right,” he said.
