Your Excellency, it is a pleasure for me, on this historic occasion to accept your Credentials accrediting you as the first Plenipotentiary Representative and the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The importance of the work of religious bodies in our countries is well known. The role that they have played in our development, particularly through education, is greatly appreciated. The Catholic Church has been a prominent factor in this regard, throughout each of our Member States. The social interventions of the many and varied faith-based organisations in our Community have largely been focussed on the less privileged. In that regard, they have been a beacon guiding the wider international community, which has only relatively recently been placing greater emphasis on this segment of society.
Excellency, I have noted with great interest the emphasis His Holiness, Pope Francis, has placed on peace, equality, inclusion and responsibility. These are issues which resonate with CARICOM as we strive to build a secure, equitable and viable Community for all our people.
The courageous actions and statements by His Holiness, particularly with respect to climate change, are most welcome to our Member States which are bearing the brunt of its effects, although hardly contributing to its causes. His papal encyclical, Laudato Si, for example, addresses the issues of environmental degradation and global warming, irresponsible development and climate change. As he rightly observed, developed, industrialized countries are mostly responsible for these problems and are obligated to help poorer nations confront the crisis.
The Community also shares the view of His Holiness that without peace and stability, the benefits of the three significant international processes of 2015 will not be derived. The goals of Financing for Development, the Post 2015 Development Agenda and the COP21 cannot be achieved without the “indispensable presupposition” of peace. They also cannot be achieved without due consideration and respect for the views of small states such as ours. In the interest of our development, I look forward to beneficial outcomes from these processes.
For us in the Caribbean Community, the Pope’s concern for the poor and the voiceless, including the plight of victims of wars and persecution, refugees and displaced persons is most meaningful. Here in our Region, there is increasing concern about a looming humanitarian crisis arising from the plight of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent rendered stateless by the Constitutional Court Ruling on nationality.
It is not clear what will become of these persons, many of whom have no ties whatsoever, social, cultural or linguistic, to Haiti to which they could well be deported. There is a related concern with regard to the deportation of Haitian migrants by the Dominican Republic in the absence of agreed protocols to provide order and predictability to facilitate their reception by the Haitian authorities.
Given its strong influence in both countries, there may be a role for the Vatican in bringing about a just solution to that crisis.
I could not complete my remarks without commending His Holiness for his role in helping to bring an end to the estrangement between Cuba and the United States. The re-establishment of diplomatic relations has brought about a positive and welcome change in the dynamics of our hemisphere. The Pope’s role in mediating international issues could very well be called upon to address other issues in our Region.
Excellency, your accreditation will provide an avenue for the Holy See and CARICOM to work together on common issues of concern to help advance the development of the Community. I mention here in particular, issues related to poverty alleviation, the problems associated with marginalised youth and those on the fringe of society.
Given your long and distinguished diplomatic career, I look forward to our mutual efforts to forge stronger relations to promote the well-being of the peoples of the Caribbean Community and of the wider world. With these few words, I welcome you most warmly to the CARICOM family.
