As we hear the accusations and counter-accusations of prospective candidates for both the People’s National Party and Jamaica Labour Party, we realise that the trust level — even among members of the same party — is not high.

Many Jamaicans are disillusioned with politics and, if this continues, the majority of votes may come from the cowering folks in the garrisons. Are those thugs, who were spurned by a promising woman resulting in her conscience exit from politics, being mollycoddled? Is this why we are hearing no strong condemnation of overactive criminals?

Our leaders should note the outpouring of love and joy of people from all walks of life for Pope Francis as he toured Cuba and the USA. We believe it is because of the life he has lived, even before he was elected to the seat of St Peter in Rome. We understand that when he became Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he chose not to live in the fancy official residence, but moved to a location to be closer to the poor. He remains in humble quarters in the Vatican and drives in a modest car. He has installed showers in St Peter’s Square for the indigent and, instead of lunching on Capitol Hill, chose to visit with street people in Washington, DC.

May we recommend this way of life to our politicians? With traditional and social media now covering every step you take, this way of goodness will score huge points, while thug-hugging may cause a mighty fall. Our reporters should remember the advice of an American media guru at a US Embassy-sponsored seminar some years ago: If you are afraid to report it, share it with an overseas journalist. So, for transparency and success at the polls, it may well suit our political representatives to try that good old path of righteousness.

A papal experience

Our family members were very proud when my brother-in-law, William Beard Jr, auditioned and was selected for membership in the Washington, DC, 90-member Elite Choir for the papal mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

I asked him to share the experience and he sent me this moving account: “I have to go back to 1964 when the Beatles first came to Washington, DC, to recall the level of local hysteria that accompanied the arrival of anyone to my beloved town. Not even the first inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 rivalled the passionate outpourings of my fellow citizens as did the arrival of Pope Francis. Let’s face it, everyone loves Pope Francis and wanted to be part of his visit. My good fortune was being selected as a member of the papal mass choir. It’s still hard to believe that I was one of a select group of singers afforded the opportunity make music for Pope Francis. I know this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m still pinching myself that I made it through the auditions. All the composers, conductors, singers, and musicians felt an enormous weight of responsibility for making every note perfect for a mass of this magnitude. We knew the world would be watching, and we needed to execute every pitch and every rhythmic nuance precisely.

“Nothing really prepared me for the overwhelming feelings of joy and excitement upon the pope’s arrival at the spectacular Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. We (the choir) heralded his arrival with Tu Es Petrus (You Are Peter, a reference to the apostolic succession) as the crowd slipped into respectfully passionate shouts of “Papa”, “We love you”, and other joyful exhortations.

“The entire experience remains fresh as if it happened only seconds ago. It’s as if each moment of my papal mass journey is being replayed on a constant loop in my mind. Every rehearsal, all the challenges mastering the volume and difficulty of music, and all of the joy creating a new community of fellow musicians in Christ is seared in my brain and, hopefully, with me forever.”

Visit to Claude McKay’s Harlem

I paid special attention to the pope’s visit to a school in Harlem, a place celebrated in the poetry of Jamaica’s Claude McKay. McKay related that it was towards the end of his life, when he was ministered to by compassionate Catholic nuns in New York, that he himself converted to Catholicism. The Catholic News Agency reported that the pope told the children at Our Lady Queen of the Angels School, “When Martin Luther King, Jr uttered his famous line ‘I have a dream’, he was thinking of you…It is beautiful to have dreams and to be able to fight for them. Today we want to keep dreaming.”

Here is some more of what the Pontiff told the children who are from humble circumstances, words that I hope my readers will relay to their little ones: “I know that one of the dreams of your parents and teachers is that you can grow up and be happy. It is always good to see children smiling. Here, I see you smiling. Keep smiling and help bring joy to everyone you meet. It’s not always easy. Everyone has problems, difficult situations, sickness. But don’t stop dreaming, so that you can live with happiness. Wherever there are dreams, there is joy, Jesus is always present. Because Jesus is joy, and he wants us to feel that joy every day of our lives.”

We will miss High Commissioner Gloudon

Jamaica will say a fond farewell to Trinidad’s present High Commissioner Iva Gloudon, who had an inspiring four-and-a-half-year tour of duty in Jamaica, also serving as accredited non-resident ambassador to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

I remember receiving a call from the Trinidad High Commission about three years ago. Rev Gloudon had invited a large group of seniors from Trinidad to visit Jamaica, and she wanted them to meet the members of an organisation I am associated with — the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP). We organised a tour of Devon House and learned that Rev Gloudon had been bringing comfort to seniors in her country for many years.

In a farewell statement, Gloudon noted: “There were many high points, but for me, the acquisition of the property at 25 Windsor Avenue, that has housed our mission since November 2013 was the ultimate thrill. The new mission was visited in quick succession, first by our former Prime Minister Hon Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, in April 2015, and then by our President H E Anthony Carmona, SC, ORTT, in July 2015. The building, I believe, serves as a symbol that we are here to stay and underscores the commitment to the shared history of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, who have enjoyed diplomatic relations for 53 years.”

Indeed, Gloudon, you have left behind “a legacy of deepened ties that includes both the Government of Jamaica and her people”. Thank you!

lowriechin@aim.com

www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com