Roman Catholic Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB encourages the nation to greet election day and beyond with a “Shalom” in order to foster the ongoing process of healing, reconciliation, trust and nation building.
The Bishop said while “shalom” is often translated to mean “peace” he is encouraging Guyanese to embrace its full Hebrew meaning of harmony, right-relationship, well-being, completeness, soundness and success. In a press release Alleyne said, “A finger on the pulse of electioneering and campaigning over the past few months, and before that in the National Assembly, suggests that the “shalom” readings are not yet in a viable range. The pulse is weak.”
Instead, he said, “What seems to be surging through the system at elevated levels are experiences and memories from the past that intimidate and terrorise and discredit.” Alleyne also noted that “performances on-stage and on-camera and in paid advertisements rehash the hurt, pain and suffering that we blame on each other across the political and ethnic divides.” He said a person likened this approach to that of “a driver looking only in the rear view mirror instead of taking in the vista offered through the windshield.”
The Bishop recalled that when Parliament was prorogued in November to forestall a no confidence motion, the church recognised that the nation was venturing into unchartered territory and from a faith perspective, drawing on the language of faith, and the social teachings in its faith tradition, it engaged a number of communities in conversations about national concerns. “These were impressive encounters which made it clear that people have a good grasp of social and national concerns. Because of their faith they also had a good grasp of human worth and the ways we could be and ought to be in right relationship with one another and the whole of creation,” he said.
“Christians, and those of other faith traditions, believe in the innate goodness of God’s creation, of which humanity forms an important part. We believe that all People, regardless of race, ethnicity or otherwise, are created in God’s image. We believe that fundamental goodness cannot be overturned by sin, however endemic that sin may be. It falls to us now to embody this belief and with resolve to work together to shape and nurture the way forward. I pray that participation in the polls on May 11th will not only indicate the people’s choice but also mark the renewal of commitment on the part of every citizen to be engaged in nation building.”
The Bishop also said he was encouraged that while interacting with a group of youngsters of whom “very few in the group could be clearly defined by one ethnicity” it was clear that the historical fear and mistrust no longer applied or even exist. “Our young people are effectively removing destructive words and concepts from our vocabulary and stand before us as a group of Guyanese poised to blossom,” he said.
