Fr Tang Kai: 'Don't allow evil to pervade in our land"

Outspoken Roman Catholic priest Fr Leslie Tang Kai believes there is “a spirit of accidental death lurking in our land.”

And he has urged parishioners to “truly lift up this nation of Trinidad and Tobago and this island, Tobago, which we call our home.”

Delivering the sermon on Thursday during Corpus Christi mass at the St Joseph RC Church, Bacolet, Tobago, Tang Kai recalled in his old year’s night homily, he prayed there would be no murders in the country.

“It is six months and we have two. But we pray against it even now.”

The priest was referring to the shooting deaths of brothers Kenwyn and Kelton James on June 5 in Les Coteaux, Tobago.

On June 7, police arrested a 26-year-old Golden Lane, Tobago man and his Trinidadian girlfriend in La Horquetta in connection with the murders. The police investigation into that incident is still ongoing.

Tang Kai declared: “We cannot and must not allow evil to pervade in our land. We must be conquerors of every evil that lurks within our land, whatever evil may be. Let us as faith people stand for truth.”

Corpus Christi is a Catholic liturgical tradition celebrating the presence of the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist.

The RC church resumed its services on Thursday because of Corpus Christi, but more places of worship are expected to reopen today after a three-month hiatus in keeping with covid19 regulations to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Prime Minister announced on June 6 that places of worship will be allowed to reopen with specific conditions relating to the wearing of masks, hand sanitising and physical distancing.

St Joseph RC Church parishioners generally adhered to the protocols. Sanitising dispensers were installed at all of the church’s entrances and members of the congregation wore masks.

During the sign of peace, there was no hugging and shaking of hands as is usually the case.

Instead, the parishioners stayed in their pews and sang Let There Be Peace on Earth.

During communion, Tang Kai offered the host but there was no sharing of wine.

Tang Kai said it was a privilege to “return to the Eucharist on this solemnity of Corpus Christi,” as the country grapples with covid19.

“The challenge that lies before us, my brothers and sisters, as Trinbagonians, as Catholics, as Christians, is how do we live out this Eucharistic life in a pandemic world.”

The priest said he never felt distressed by the pandemic during the three-month lockdown.

“I trust God in everything in my life and I want to invite us, my brothers and sisters, even though your choice or your opinion is contrary to public opinion, to allow God to use you for his glory and for his honour.

“God never punishes. He tests us to see if we will be faithful, to see if we would live the commandments of love, goodness, compassion and mercy.”