The Rum Posse met for its end-of-week lime by Shirley, Big Bottom Beverley’s younger sister, who having heard enough about Alfred’s Tobago spread last week, decided to take a simpler approach to her menu. Although, there really was nothing simple about her menu which consisted of fried rice, callaloo, macaroni pie, green fig salad, noodles with minced meat, mashed potato, stew pork, barbecue chicken, fried fish and fresh green salad. The bar offered premium brandy, premium whisky, Angostura puncheon, White Oak, beers and chasers.
Present were her elder sister, Big Bottom Beverly; Alfred; Anand and Rihanna; Balkie; Barman; Ramesh; Roshan; and Sunil.
The old talk started with the issue of the sacramental wine as part of holy communion in Catholic and some other Christian churches, where former government Colm Imbert claimed that the alcohol legislation banned its use for Christians under 21 years of age. Attorney General John Jeremie rejected that interpretation; Anglican Bishop Claude Berkley said he was examining the implications and is considering whether an expressed religious exemption was needed; the Roman Catholic Archbishop, Dr Jason Gordon, on the other hand, has instructed his priests to continue offering consecrated wine to Catholics of all ages during Holy Communion, saying the practice is protected by the constitution. And so, the controversy has been imploding.
Shirley: Welcome, everybody. It is always my pleasure to entertain you guys in my humble abode. Rihanna, ah didn’t say it before, but leh meh say we glad to have you back in de fray in person. And as for you, Mr Alfred. I taking in front and saying it one time, the fish is not from Tobago; two, the pork is not from Tobago and to besides, I not even applying for Tobago citizenship.
Alfred: Okay Ms Shirls, I hear you. Take it down a lil bit. All I know is everybody here did really enjoy my crab and dumpling and pacro water.
Big Bottom Beverly: Yes, Alfred but please remember that the crab done dead, cooked and eaten. No more testimonials needed. Let’s discuss this communion wine business.
Ramesh: Bev, imagine preparing a child for first communion and having to check whether the godfather know a good lawyer. Dis whole communion wine bacchanal need a proper explanation.
Barman: I for one supporting firm action to protect young people. When I was running meh bar, youths used to come around in uniform to see what dey could get away with as far as dey getting ah beer or a lil puncheon was concerned. And some ah dem would argue with you as if dey school badge was identification to prove dey old enough to drink alcohol.
Sunil: And Barman yuh could ah refuse to serve dem. The concern here is whether the legislation affects a religious practice and, if it does, how to deal with it.
Barman: Alcohol is alcohol.
Ramesh: I agree with Barman. So, wine is alcohol and it doh change whether yuh drink it in church or in a rum shop.
Alfred: I like de Roman Catholic historical justification for drinking wine. And in fact, Mr Barman, before ah continue, you doh “drink” de wine. Any Catholic know dat you does just get a lil touch ah de thing on yuh lip. You doh even get enough to wet yuh throat. Is only de priest or whoever else giving communion does have to drink out what remaining in de chalice after everybody done take dey sip.
Rihanna: Thanks for that eh Alfred. But ah sure that is not what de Roman Catholic Archbishop say.
Alfred: All right, all right. Yuh ketch meh dey. Actually, de Archbishop urged his flock and all Roman Catholics to stay calm, saying that the Church offers the Precious Blood to children preparing for First Communion and Confirmation even when the legal age for drinking was 18. So, what the fuss is about, he asked. His words, “Nothing has changed. Absolutely nothing has changed”.
Big Bottom Beverly: He said a little more than that, Alfie. He noted that the practice of religion was constitutionally protected and receiving the chalice was an important part of Catholic worship, as well as the tradition of other Christian churches. I must say, dat Archbishop bright too bad. He became a priest at the age of 32 in 1991, March to be exact, and completed his PhD at the Jesuit College in the University of London in 2000. He cited the writings of some St Cyprian, dating back to AD 258, as evidence that offering the Chalice to children has been part of Christian worship for centuries. So let Imbert with he short self take dat long explanation. And you know de sad part ‘bout Imbert? He is ah big, big, Roman Catholic who in church every weekend and even during de week sometimes. He doh miss mass, from what I understand. And doh bother to ask meh how I know.
Ramesh: Me eh no Catholic; I is ah full-fledged Hindu especially at dis time of de year and yet even I know dat what Jason Gordon say making sense. De trouble in this country is dat it have no or very few critical thinkers. In fact, it seems to me that critical thinking in T&T has taken a holiday! And that is why people like Imbert could talk ah set ah chupidness and get others foolishly excited. Nobody doh think for deyself again. Whatever anybody say, dey not only taking it wholesale, dey going and sell it back just how dey get it and so it goes. Not one person will say to deyself, leh meh see if that making sense. I does try not to get rchain up, eh. But it hard.
Sunil: I just glad that from early ‘o clock, the Attorney General rejected outright Imbert’s interpretation and showed de country how dotish Imbert is! And de AG even did it again ah second time when he endorsed de Archbishop’s position calling it “a refreshingly measured and informed response to what was a storm in a teacup non-issue”.
Balkie: And that exactly is meh point. Look how lucid de Roman Catholic Archbishop was on dis matter. Why Anglican Bishop, Claude Berkley, must say that Christian churches were “studying” the legislation and plan to make representation to government for an exemption before Christmas? He and Gordon doh talk? Ent dey house close by near Whitehall? Dey could ah exchange ideas over de fence.
Anand: What allyuh so concerned about? Ent allyuh know de two things people doh argue about is religion and politics? Allyuh eh see how Roshan and me eh saying nutten? Dis is koochoor country. Everything does cause confusion of one kind or de other. So why we doh move on?
Shirley: Anand, I agree with you. As far as I am concerned, Archbishop Jason Gordon put everything in perspective. So, before de food get too cold, best we do some critical eating and drink whatever alcohol it have. No sipping allowed.
Until next week
