Church celebrates Pantin

CAROL MATROO

WHEN the late Archbishop Anthony Pantin took over the Port of Spain diocese 50 years ago, he did so with the Church going through difficult times. However, Pantin was able to navigate through those turbulent years and was determined to bring reform to the Church.

Archbishop of Port of Spain Jason Gordon, in delivering the homily on Monday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Pantin, said Pantin was known as the “People’s Priest”, as he had an affinity with the poor and marginalised and lived at the periphery amongst the most marginalised in Laventille.

“When he moved back to Archbishop’s House, the poor and marginalised moved with him.

All of that is why he was a great archbishop, but being a great archbishop does not make you a saint. It was the way he treated people, every person had equal access and care from him. There were many times at opportune moments he would arrive at people’s homes when something was wrong. His humility was his love for the poor,” he said.

Archbishop Gordon said Pantin never underestimated the dignity, responsibility or authority of the office as it was always used to serve the common good and the marginalised in Trinidad and Tobago. He said Pantin would always be remembered as a mediator in the troubled times of both the Black Power crisis and the 1990 attempted coup.