In his Easter message His Lordship Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB says that as Easter People, we are called to take up the stance that has been strong in our tradition, namely the readiness to explore and commit to the best ways of being. His Easter wish therefore, is that together we live and plant the seeds of what is most genuine and authentic. The message is given in full below:

“New ways of being Church in a Digital Milieu” is the title of a Pastoral Letter recently published by the Bishops of the Antilles. The letter describes some of the realities of our Caribbean region in an age when digital technology is very available and developed to the point that we make references to cyber space and cyber citizens. The document quotes from a publication with the title “Cybertheology: Thinking Christianity in the Era of the Internet.” A quote from this book says “The Internet … has evolved into a cultural environment that determines a style of thought, creating new territories and new types of education, contributing also to the definition of a new way to stimulate the intelligence and to tighten relationships. It is a way to live in and organize our world. It is not a separate environment, but it is becoming ever more integrated into our everyday lives”. A pertinent question is “How can we best be Church in this environment?” The Church over its history has repeatedly encountered new realities and repeatedly been faced with the same question, how to be authentic, how to be true to our identity, how to distill the truth in the face of a changing landscape? We read in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 10, very early in Church history, of Peter coming to terms with the new milieu of non-Jews seeking Baptism and Peter says in the house of Cornelius, “The truth I have now come to realize is that God does not have favorites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35). The Councils of the Church from the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) through to the Second Vatican Council marked moments when the Church faced new milieux and shaped new ways of being. Each time the Church faced a new era or a new culture it had to adopt new styles of thought, new types of education, new ways of stimulating the intelligence and forming relationships. Each new era called for new ways to live in and organize our world. The constant through the many changes was resurrection, new life, new ways of being. It is the core of our Christian identity and each time we celebrate Easter we affirm this, we rejoice in it, we are Easter people. We have a wonderful tradition of renewal, adjusting to and embracing new realities and truths. In this spirit the recent Encyclicals of the Pope have been addressed to particular milieux of concern; Laudato Si – Climate Change, Amoris Laetitia – Family. This year the Holy Father is holding a Synod on Youth and next year a Synod on the Amazon. Each encyclical and Synod is inviting the whole church into the most authentic way of being. As we bring this closer to home and look at elements that make up the milieu in which we are called to be Easter People, we a called to take up the stance that has been strong in our tradition: the readiness to explore and commit to the best ways of being. And whether the elements of our environment take the form of corruption, crime, abuse, exploitation or are the ones that open ways for new possibilities e.g. for better communications, collaboration, relationships, security, education, health, as People of the Resurrection, as a Church, the Easter wish that I extend to all is that together we live and plant the seeds of what is most genuine and authentic.