Father Gerard Paul, a 64-year-old priest from Grenada, has turned to calypso music as a platform for advocacy after his indefinite suspension from priestly duties. The musician debuted in calypso competition this year at Spicemas, Grenada’s major carnival celebration, and is competing in finals scheduled for the coming weekend alongside other performers.
Paul was suspended in April 2024 following a sermon delivered the previous March in which he criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza and called on church leadership to speak out on matters of justice. During the sermon at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in St. George’s, Paul stated that the gospel cannot be properly preached without standing for justice, and that silence constitutes complicity in injustice. The Diocese of St. George’s recorded footage of the sermon, which was later deleted but subsequently published by a local investigative journalism program.
Bishop Clyde Harvey responded by criticizing Paul’s remarks as a “diatribe” and stated the priest had not received permission to make such statements. Harvey later clarified that the suspension resulted not from Paul’s comments on Gaza specifically, but from what he characterized as persistent attacks on church leadership, lack of respect for the institution, and failure to accept correction. Harvey emphasized the suspension was not a dismissal from the priesthood itself.
Since his suspension, Paul has pursued calypso as an alternative means of reaching audiences beyond the constraints of formal priestly roles. He has released two songs: “Oh Gaza,” which addresses the military conflict, and “Ah Want Ah Radar,” which references a U.S. government request to install military radar in Grenada. In the latter song, Paul uses satirical lyrics to comment on sexual abuse allegations within the Catholic Church and clerical celibacy requirements. Paul stated that calypso provides him a broader platform to address social issues compared to traditional priestly duties, and expressed that his expanded perspective prevents him from returning to previous limitations.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI