The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

BELIZE Bishop Philip Wright was yesterday elected Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies, defeating Bahamas Bishop Laish Boyd in a historic vote that made him the first Belizean to lead the regional Anglican Church.

The announcement followed a closed ballot at the 42nd Triennial Provincial Synod, held at Breezes Resort in Nassau, where bishops, clergy, and lay delegates from eight dioceses across the Caribbean voted to fill the vacancy left by Jamaica Archbishop Howard Gregory’s retirement in December.

Bishop Wright, who has led the Diocese of Belize since 2005 and was serving as the province’s acting administrator, said his election was humbling and overwhelming.

“When we start these journeys into ministry, you never imagine a day like this would come,” he said. “It’s overwhelming to know that the members of Synod voted with confidence to give me this opportunity to serve the church in this manner.”

He said his priorities would include strengthening youth engagement and expanding the Church’s use of technology to reinvigorate participation. “Certainly, by focusing more intentionally on the youth and their participation in the life of the church, and engaging in technology and all of that, could be a way in which we can change the tide,” Archbishop Wright said about declining numbers of church attendees. “Yes, the numbers matter, but what also matters is the quality of ministry we can offer.”

Bishop Boyd, who has served as Bishop of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands since 2009, said the election reflected the Anglican Church’s enduring order and tradition. “The Anglican Church has been in this region since the 1600s,” he said, explaining that the House of Bishops nominates two candidates before the Synod votes to determine who will serve as Archbishop. “It’s about service, not competition,” he added. “Our shared responsibility continues: to strengthen the church, nurture our people, and support the new Archbishop in his calling.”

Asked about the ongoing national debate in The Bahamas over members of the gaming industry entering frontline politics, Archbishop Wright said he had not studied the issue closely but reaffirmed the Church’s long-standing caution about gambling. “The concern has always been about abuse,” he said. “We want to ensure that the viability and thriving of families is attended to, and something like gambling, which potentially can work against that, is certainly something you would caution against.”

The week-long Synod, hosted for the first time in The Bahamas since 2001, drew delegates from across the Caribbean to discuss youth involvement, family life, and the Church’s adaptation to modern communication. Archdeacon Dwight Rolle, chairman of the local organising committee, said hosting the event after 24 years was both challenging and rewarding. “The logistics alone — hosting hundreds of delegates, arranging accommodations, transportation, and sessions — took months of preparation,” he said. “But it’s also a tremendous privilege for our diocese to welcome the province back to The Bahamas.”

During the session, Archbishop Wright confirmed that the province would provide aid to dioceses in Jamaica and neighbouring territories affected by the recent hurricane. “We have bishops and priests from Jamaica who have been giving us a sense of the reality there,” he said. “I am of the mind that this Synod will not close without making some commitment to help our sisters and brothers who have been affected by this enormous hurricane.”

He also paid tribute to the late former Archbishop Drexel Gomez, saying the province was in a “transition in leadership” and expressing gratitude for the foundation laid by his predecessors.

The Anglican Province of the West Indies comprises eight dioceses: The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the Northeastern Caribbean and Aruba, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands. Archbishop Wright will serve until retirement, representing the region within the global Anglican Communion.

“We have a lot to do within the church itself in terms of moving things forward,” he said. “But we also want to remain engaged in the wider society and in the matters that affect the lives of all people.”