Archbishop: Don’t ditch morals at Carnival

RC Archbishop the Most Rev Jason Gordon urged people not to ditch their morals at Carnival, in his first-ever Ask the Archbishop interview, broadcast on Facebook yesterday.

He said he will be viewing Carnival to learn where it has gone, including its joys and its concerns. Saying he’ll watch Dimanche Gras show, he said, “It’s going to be a lovely time.”

Asked if it is hypocritical for Catholics to engage in Carnival and then go to church for ashes on Ash Wednesday, he smiled and promised his own full expose in this weekend's Catholic News.

"It’s a big one that people keep asking but I’m settling it this time.”

“Carnival is a festival that is intrinsically good with incredible energy, creativity and vibrancy which is all part of the Spirit and a way that God brings renewal to people."

However, he said Carnival has challenges in the moral behaviour of people and how people "reveal" themselves and practise wining and other activities.

“Carnival has become a whipping boy, I think, for a deeper ailment in our society. The real challenge is not the Carnival itself but that we have a shifting morality in our society and nobody wants to deal with that one.